Bitten
by MoeMoeWordWord
Summary: Riley Sterling, slightly above-average student with a painful past, meets a misunderstood boy who is unsure of who he is. Meeting in dreams, can Riley unearth the secrets of this boy? Or will she be broken beyond repair? Complete. (Being rewritten)
1. Oneiromancy

Bitten

Riley stretched her arms up, letting out a tired groan. She closed her reference book and put her notebook away. With a lazy finger, she pushed her ink well around on her desk. Riley had just finished her paper on how Occlumens can counter even the most powerful Legilimen with false memories. Her head ached from her eyes straining against the darkness in order to see what she was reading and writing. She rubbed at her eyes, then trailed her hand to her forehead and pulled it all the way down to her chin. Riley yawned and grabbed her candle. Barely making it to her bed, she didn't bother to change out of her school uniform. When she sat down and her head hit the pillow, she was out.

"_Riley," came a voice. Riley opened her eyes and found herself in a room. The room was as dark as a night of a new moon. There were no candles and no windows to allow the moonlight in. Riley assumed it was night at least. _

_ "Riley," said the voice again. Other than the small voice calling her, no sounds were coming from around her. But then, when she listened very hard, she heard a small whimpering. Blind as a bat, Riley didn't fight the darkness. She closed her eyes and took a slow breath. Focusing on only her sense of hearing, she followed the sound. She held her hands out so as to not run into anything. Although as she walked, there wasn't anything to run into. It took her several minutes to be close enough to the sound where it wasn't hard to hear._

_ "Hello?" She called softly, opening her eyes. It was still dark, but there was a candle very high up. It was fastened in an iron, lion-toed candelabra. It was almost completely burned out and the flame struggled to burn on the wick. Riley let her eyes adjust to the new light and looked around for the source of the sound._

_ A little ways in front of her, there was a boy sitting against a wall. He had his knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. His face was between his knees and he was shivering. His hair was straight and a medium length._

_ "Hello? Are you all right?" Riley called again, moving closer. His head jolted up. He had stone grey eyes that even Riley could see in the dim lighting. He looked surprised and scared, then angry._

_ "How did you get here?" He growled. His voice seemed somewhat familiar to Riley. But she couldn't place it. Had he been the one calling her? It didn't sound the same, but it wasn't so different either._

_ "Someone was calling me." Riley answered, "Are you the only one here?" The boy scowled._

_ "You shouldn't be here! If He finds you-"_

_ "If who finds me?" The boy was struck silent. His mouth was open in an answer, but no sound came from him. There was the sound of a door opening. His head jerked towards the sound, coming up into a crouch position quickly. He looked at Riley._

_ "You have to leave. Now!" He hissed. Riley was confused. What was he talking about? It was just a dream. No one could hurt them and nothing could happen. But Riley felt herself being pushed. She felt the dream slipping away. She reached out for the boy, but he made some form of shield around himself. As he was fading farther from her, Riley called out._

_ "Wait! Let me help you!" She yelled. His face turned towards her and she couldn't breathe for a moment. His eyes were sad and hopeless._

_ "No one can help me." He whispered, but the sound carried all the way to her. Then Riley was falling, reality and fiction swirling around her to create a never-ending darkness._

Riley shot up, panting for breath. A cold sweat fell down her back and plastered her hair to her face. She brought a shaky hand to her face and pushed her hair behind her ears.She let out a breath and sucked in some fresh air. What had that dream been? Was the boy all right? Maybe she would practice a little Oneiromancy later. She scratched at her part and looked over at her clock. 9:20 am flashed red in front of her eyes which meant classes began in ten minutes.

Her heart jumping in to her throat, Riley jumped up. She retied her house tie and pulled up her black tights. She made sure all her buttons were buttoned on her plain white shirt, pulled on her charcoal grey knitted v-neck jumper, and threw on a cardigan with yellow and black strips at the waist and cuffs. As Riley pulled on her plain black shoes she patted out the wrinkles on her grey skirt. Running out the door, she grabbed her notebook and books for her first and second classes. Snatching a plain, black, silver fastened robe off a hook near the door she rushed to her class.

Just barely making it in the door to her class before the bell rang, Riley thought she was going to die. She was never late to her classes normally. Every now and then she would sleep in, but it almost never happened. As she walked to her usual seat by her classmate Stephanie Cradey, she noticed people looking at her and giggling. Riley placed her things on the table Stephanie and she shared and sat down on the bench.

"Good morning, Riley." Stephanie said, she turned to continue the conversation but stopped. Riley blinked as Stephanie burst out in to rolling fits of laughter.

"What? What is it?"

"Riley! All over your face!" Stephanie choked out. Riley blinked again. She reached up at rubbed at her face. She looked at her palm and it was covered with smears of ink. Under the ink, Riley's face turned bright red. Last night when she had rubbed her eyes and things, she must have had ink on her hands from her well. She jumped up, rushing from the room and tried to outrun the laughter from her classmates. Just as she was about to reach the door, a chill ran down her spine.

_"Riley!" _yelled the same voice from her dream that night. She snapped her head up just in time to stop herself from running in to someone. He looked down at her with cold, grey eyes. Riley's heart stopped in her chest.

"You...you're from," she murmured. His straight blond hair fell over his eyes a little where he peered at her. His skin was pale in the classroom light. This was most certainly the boy she had seen in her dream last night! He went to her school? They had a class together? How had she not remembered?

"Filth." He spat, "Get out of my way." He said, his lip curled up in a sneer. Riley blinked. Something flashed across his eyes and he pushed past her, hitting her hard on the shoulder as he passed. She stumbled a bit. She watched him sit down three tables in front of her own. His tablemate said something to him with a look back at Riley. The boy looked over his shoulder at her and Riley could swear she saw recognition in his eyes. But then his face became spiteful and he made a snide remark to his friend. Riley felt her face turn hot and she pushed past the teacher as they entered the classroom.


	2. Lined Paper

Bitten : Lined Paper

Riley splashed the warm water against her face. The basin was a diluted, navy from the ink that had been on her face. She scrubbed with a hand towel that hung near the sink. Almost all of the ink was gone and her skin was red from the rubbing.

"Way to be, Riley." Riley muttered to herself as she dried her face and hands. What a way to meet the man of her dreams. That made Riley giggle.

There was no doubt in Riley's mind that the boy from her dream and the boy from her first class were one and the same. But who exactly was he? His class tie had been green and silver which meant that he was one of the Slytherin dormitory. She had two friends who were housed in Slytherin. Her next class was Potions with Professor Snape. Her tablemate was a boy named Casanova who was a year younger than her. He was one of the nicest Slytherin boys around. It wasn't normal for tablemates to be from different dorms. So when Riley and Casanova were paired, it was like Rosa Parks not moving from her seat. It was completely revolutionary. However, while everyone was freaking out, Riley and Casanova became great friends. Riley went to him for the tings she couldn't go to Stephanie for.

Now she was walking back to her Theory of Magic class to get her things. She walked in on the last ten minutes of class. To her horror, they had all traded papers while she was washing up. She looked to Stephanie who just gave her a look. Stephanie then looked over at a desk and then back at Riley. She shrugged and continued to read and edit the paper in front of her. The teacher, Professor Binns, looked up.

"Riley. Don't worry about the tardy. Stephanie told me what happened. We're almost done with peer editing. Just take a seat and stay quiet." He said and then returned to the paper he was grading.

Riley slowly walked to her table and sat down.

"Who ended up with my paper?" Riley whispered to Stephanie who was making her final editing marks.

"I doubt it will be anything but red marks when he's done with it." She murmured back.

"When who's done with it?" Riley hissed, annoyed. Stephanie opened her mouth to answer when Professor Binns cleared his throat, meaning it was time to share.

"Now. We will only be sharing one paper today. To determine the lucky paper, we will see which has the least editing marks." Professor Binns explained. He started with fifteen marks or less. Twenty-two hands shot in to the air. The count of marks continued to dwindle down along with the number of hands in the air. Within five minutes, the mark count was three or less and the number of hands up was one.

Everyone's eyes followed the elevated arm to the attached body. Riley found herself looking at the boy from her dream. Professor Binns smiled at him.

"Very good, Malfoy. You seem to have today's winner." He joked. He made a motion with his hand and "Malfoy" stood.

"'Many understand that, no matter how much they wish their thoughts were private, such is not the case,'" He began. Riley sat in stunned silence as Malfoy read the words that had flowed from her pen just hours ago.

The reading took only about three minutes, but it was like every person in the room was transported to the world of Occlumency and Legilimency. Malfoy's voice was majestic and followed the paper perfectly. It sounded just like how Riley heard it in her head when she had been writing it. Malfoy finished and everyone was silent. The last words rang in the air. Professor Binns clapped excitedly.

"That was absolutely brilliant! I've never heard such a take on Occlumency. And the execution! Just perfect!" Professor Binns looked around.

"Tell me, who wrote this?" He asked. Riley looked at Stephanie who nodded, eyes shining with encouragement. Riley opened her mouth to claim the paper when the bell rang. The rest of their class got up and left as quickly as they could. All the papers were placed on a table near the exit. Stephanie hurried off, pulling the "meeting with Harry before class" card.

Riley looked up after gathering her things and found Malfoy glaring down at her. Riley blinked and opened her mouth but he raised his hand to stop her.

"You know about Occlumency?" He growled. Riley simply nodded. He seemed to contemplate what he was going to say next. His eyes looked her over. He noted the length of her blonde hair and the sparkles in her ice blue/grey eyes.

"How are you with Oneiromancy?" He asked slowly.


	3. Room of Requirement

Hey! This is the third chapter in Bitten and it's called "Room of Requirement". Thank you so much for taking the time and reading this! I love criticism (constructive. Because seriously, if you're just in a crappy mood, don't take it out on me. That's just lame.) I don't own the Harry Potter franchise. I hope you enjoy this newest chapter! The next one should be coming out pretty soon! Thanks again!

Riley was a little jumpy. She never skipped classes; however, she sometimes did sleep through them. Her mystery boy, who she now knew as Draco Malfoy, had pulled her out of Theory of Magic. Riley was really nervous about missing Potions class, but Draco chided her.

"If you need to be in class to know the material," he'd said condescendingly, "then you should go to an easier class." Riley had stopped complaining after that.

As they were walking near the Great Hall,, Riley heard a door opening near them. Ahead of them, she spotted Professor McGonagall.

"Draco!" Riley hissed, pulling at his sleeve, "Someone's coming!" Draco cursed under his breath. He didn't feel like coming up with an excuse why a Slytherin boy was skipping class with a Hufflepuff girl. Just as McGonagall was walking around the corner, Riley grabbed on to Draco's hand. She murmured something under her breath that Draco recognized as an invisibility charm. He looked down and didn't see her wand, at least not in her hands.

"You can do magic without a wand?" Draco whispered. Riley shushed him. The professor passed them without even so much as a glance. Riley let go of Draco's hand and the charm dissipated.

"Sorry." She whispered. Draco was quiet for a second then snarled.

"I'll never be able to scrub the dirt from my hand." He growled at her. She didn't even try to respond. After a moment of awkward silence, Draco sighed.

"Look," he began, "What I mean is-"

"You said we were going somewhere no one would find us?" Draco pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yes. The Room of Requirement." he answered simply.

Draco led Riley up many stairs. Riley's legs were burning by the time Draco stopped. She could hardly breathe. She never was very fit.

"Stand there." He ordered. Riley made face at him, but stayed right where she was. She watched Draco as he paced in front of a section of wall three times. To Riley's surprise, a door appeared. Draco wrapped his hand around the doorknob. He looked back at Riley.

"Well?" He said impatiently. Riley blinked and followed him inside.

The room was about the size of one of the classrooms. There were a few cabinets along the wall. They were large and made of what seemed to be sandalwood. Riley walked over to the armoirs and ran her hand along the wood. She was greeted by the sweet smell the wood let off. Inside, there were many vials and different powders and things. She faintly heard Draco close the door as he entered the room himself.

"Now," he started," what do you know about Oneiromancy?" Riley looked up at him.

"What do you want to know?" Draco, again, seemed hesitant.

"How can you protect your dreams?" He asked. Riley looked at him for a moment. Did he remember the dream from the other night? He didn't really seem like he did. Riley sighed and sat down in one of the chairs in the room. She looked around at the room again. There was one window high up on the northern facing wall that took up about half of the wall. The sunlight streamed in and cast colours from the stained glass into the room. But, for nighttime, there were candles fastened on to the walls. The holders were a sturdy iron and fashioned to look like lion paws. Riley frowned. Where had she seen those candelabras before?

Draco cleared his throat which called Riley back to the question.

"Protect? Do you mean ward them from nightmares?" Draco shook his head.

"Is it possible to," he paused,"enter someone's dreams?" Riley thought this over for a second.

"Yes," she answered slowly," it is possible. Although not practiced by many."

"Is it difficult?" Riley flinched. She had hoped to not let the level of difficulty out.

"Yes." She answered again, "It's only difficult because there are only two ways to accomplish entering, and even influencing, someone's dream." Draco gave her a short nod, signaling her to continue. She let out a breath.

"You're either permitted to enter by some form of bond or contract. Or you force your way inside." Draco looked at her, his brows together.

"What do you mean by force?" He asked. Even though his face was steady, his voice wavered. Riley glanced at him again, then down at her lap where her hands sat clasped.

"Usually with a potion. But, there are spells. Or, rather, curses." She whispered, "They're awful.

"Are they painful?" Riley closed her eyes and bit the inside of her lip as her body shuddered.

"Yes. They are even more painful than the Cruciatus curse." Her voice broke on the first word. No matter how many memories she used to replace her actual memories, her body still remembered the pain.

_Electrified pins and needles..._

_Hot wax made from skin eating parasites..._

_White hot nails hammered in to her temples..._

_Spiked snakes slithering through the crevices in her brain..._

_A voice, sickly sweet, never quieting..._

Draco watched something similar to recognition pass over Riley's face. He noticed the small tremors that ran through her shoulders. He thought, for a moment, maybe someone had forced their way in to Riley's dreams. But he quickly pushed that away because it was one of those things that just never happened to people you knew. Draco was appalled. He didn't _know_ Riley. He just needed to use her.

"Can you stop someone from entering?" He asked impatiently. Riley opened her eyes and made a face.

"Yes and no. Yes, depending on the bond or level of Oneiromancer. No, depending on the level of Oneiromancer." Draco pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a frustrated breath.

"What in the world are you blabbering on about?" Riley bit her lip again. Could she tell him?

"If I am stronger than the person you're trying to keep out, yes. It will work." Draco's face paled. He looked down then back at Riley.

"What do you need to do?" Draco asked steadily. Riley looked up at him.

"I need to break your bond." She replied simply.


	4. Bonds, Breaking Bonds

Draco looked at Riley like she had three heads. Riley blinked at him in response.

"What? That's what I need to do. There's something allowing you to be entered, for a lack of a better term." Riley said. Draco looked like he was going to be sick. Riley frowned.

"It's impossible." Draco murmured. He felt like now there was just no way. How could this girl, whom Draco barely knew, sever the bond he had? Riley sighed loudly, drawing Draco's attention back.

"Let me see your hand." She said. Draco narrowed his eyes at her.

"Relax. I'm not going to bite." Riley chided. Scowling, he offered his left hand to her. With a curt nod, Riley carefully grasped his fingers. She placed his hand palm up in her left hand and traced a pattern on his palm. A shiver ran up Draco's spine. He felt his hand going numb, the numbness traveling up his arm. He glanced down and saw faint, silver vein-like lines beginning to crawl slowly along his skin.

"What are you doing?" he hissed. Riley didn't look up, her eyes glued to the delicate lacework of appearing lines.

"Trying to find your point of bonding." She whispered. His forearm suddenly started to burn like he'd been branded. Cursing loudly, he jerked his arm away. Riley looked up, startled.

"Draco?" She asked softly. He grimaced, cradling his arm. Riley frowned again.

"It's on your arm. Isn't it?" Riley didn't even have to ask. Her lines had become a sedated sort of pale blue, similar to the colour of her eyes. Draco was silent. He didn't bring his gaze up to meet hers. Riley stared at Draco.

"I can't do anything unless I see the mark." Riley said carefully and slowly. Draco stood, shoving his chair away. It toppled over and clattered to the ground. Riley jumped from the banging of the fallen chair. She watched him stalk across the room. He stood in front of the long, domed window. The stained glass cast colours across his pale skin and hair. There was no sound until Riley rose from her seat, the legs scraping delicately against the wooden floor.

"Draco, I di-" she began. Draco turned and glared at her with such venom she flinched a bit.

"This is ridiculous." He growled. He began to storm towards the door.

"Draco, wait!" Riley called as he passed her. She reached out and grabbed onto his forearm.

An audible snap emitted from the contact and forced both Riley and Draco to the ground from the aftershock. Riley opened her eyes and looked at Draco. He was curled up on his side, holding his arm against his body. He was shaking violently and gasping for breath. Riley crawled towards him on her knees.

"Draco?" She whispered. She reached out. He wheeled around and slapped her hand.

"Don't touch me!" He yelled. "Gah!" He choked and was bent over again. Breath escaped through his lips in sharp hisses. Riley watched. It was really all that she could do. Draco was letting out muffled screams that made Riley closed her eyes and pressed her hands to her ears. But she could still hear his pained noises. What was happening? She opened one eyes a bit and inhaled sharply. Dark, forest green lines were beginning to slither up from under Draco's collar onto his face. His eyes widened then became half-lidded as his iris' became dull. Sitting back on his heels, as he was kneeling, his arms lowered. The backs of his hands barely brushed the floor. He blankly stared ahead of him. Riley saw the lines intertwining and crawling down his arms and around his face. They settled just around his eyes, branching off to different parts of his face. Riley felt a cold shiver run down her spine.

"Draco?" Riley asked again. There was no response. Riley inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. She reached forward again. When her fingers touched Draco's hand, nothing happened. She followed the faint remnants of her own lines on his skin. As her touch feathered just under his forearm, his right hand shot out and grabbed her wrists. She yelped in pain.

"D-Draco!" She gasped. He squeezed, small whimpers emanated from Riley's pale lips. She felt the bones in her wrist grinding together.

"Stop! Draco! Please, stop!" She pleaded, trying to pull herself from his grasp. Draco was completely unresponsive. Her silver eyes darted to his, searching for an ounce of cognition. She cried out as his hand continued to squeeze her joint.

"Draco!" She hissed. Pulling all her strength together, she yanked away from him. This caused them both to lose their balance. Riley hit her head against the floor as she fell onto her back. Draco fell with her, but caught himself. His hands were palm down on both sides of her face; his knees on each side of her narrow hips. He hovered over her and stared down at her. Riley could feel her wrist beginning to bruise. Her head was throbbing and she was trying to get her vision to stop swimming. Draco's hair fell around his face, creating shadows and making the serpent-like lines even more haunting. Riley opened her squinting eyes and looked up at him.

"What's happening to you Draco?" She asked quietly. Her hand reached up and touched the lines on his face. He reeled back slightly, but didn't remove himself.

"Who's doing this to you?"

_"Riley, help me. Please, save me." _came the voice from her dream. Suddenly a snarl curled Draco's lip.

"You can't help me." His voice was warped, almost as if someone was using Draco to speak. "You're weak and filthy. You are of no help to anyone." His words hit her like a ton of bricks. Riley felt her heart sink.

"You shouldn't be here. You're filthy." He repeated. Although his words were harsh, Riley saw sorrow in his eyes.

Swallowing the ugly feelings inside her, Riley cleared her mind. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly again. She opened her eyes and looked defiantly into Draco's own blank orbs. Reaching up, she placed both hands on the sides of his head. The pads of her middle fingers were placed over his temples.

"Sorry. This is going to hurt." She murmured to him. "_Somno.__" _She whispered. Draco's eyes widened as his body stiffened. Then he became limp as he was forced into a sleep-like state. Riley kept him from crushing her. She pushed him off of her and laid him on his back on the floor. The markings on his skin pulsated and writhed around angrily. Taking another set of breaths, Riley replaced her fingers on his temples.

_"__Somnium__revelaverit.__"_ She commanded. As he was induced into dreaming, his face scrunched up. He made more animalistic sounds under her. He squirmed about and tried to break the contact of their skin. But Riley stayed put, keeping her fingers glued to him.

"Now, let's find out what's going on with you, all right Draco?" She whispered. Closing her eyes slowly she opened herself to him.

_"__Ostende__michi__semetipso. Indica mihi furta.__"_ Riley was sucked into Draco's consciousness. She was taken to the Limbo between his conscious self and unconscious mind.

_Opening her eyes, Riley found herself in the dark room from her dreams a few nights ago. She now could recognize it as the Room of Requirement. The single candle burned on a table in the middle of the room. She looked around, eyes penetrating the darkness._

_ "Draco? Are you here?" She called out. She had no fear of what lay in the darkness, watching her. This was her domain. Nothing could overpower her here. Walking away from the candle, she listened for signs of anything. She didn't hear whimpering, talking, breathing, or any signs that she wasn't alone. She frowned, her brows coming together. Something wasn't right._

_ "Riley, over here." Came a small voice. Riley wheeled around._

_ "__Lux__, me __duce__indigentibus__auxilium__mihi.__" A dull tunnel of light appeared around Riley. It made the darkness shy away like a rat from a flame. At the end of her light she saw Draco. He was chained to the wall by what seemed to be chains made of bones. She made her way towards him, all the while his image morphing and fading in and out. She stood in front of him. He was sweating and looked tired. His face was paler than in the waking world and his cheeks seemed sunken in. His __shackles kept him off the ground slightly. She reached up to touch his face and he winced as if she'd raised her hand to hit him. Riley frowned again._

_ "Draco, I'm not going to hurt you." She whispered gently. What had happened to him? She let her arm go passed his face and to the chains holding him to the wall. There were scabbed over cuts where the restraints cut into his skin and bruising where he had struggled against them. She touched the bones and hissed as she pulled back. The contact had burned her. She shook it off and touched the shackle again. Flinching as the smell of singed skin filled the airspace around them, she murmured a string of words. After a moment, she had to pull away. Cradling her hand against her chest, she sneered._

_ "I'll get you out of this Draco, I promise." Draco lifted his head a little to look at her. He was so pitiful. A smirk ghosted across his lips. He then let his head fall back and thump lightly against the wall._

_ "If only that were a promise you could keep." He whispered. Riley made a face._

_ "Have faith in me." Using her other hand, she touched the cuff again. Seconds passed and nothing happened. But then Draco felt the pressure in the room drop. He popped his ears and blinked._

_ "__Interficiam__!" Riley hissed. The restraints exploded into a golden dust and fell gently to the ground. Draco fell, not so gracefully, to his knees on the cool floor. He stared at the floor incredulously. She'd freed him? But how was that possible? Using the wall for support, he lifted himself back onto his feet. His knees were a bit wobbly, but he stood nonetheless. Riley shivered, suddenly becoming cold. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to gain some warmth. Shaking slightly, Riley looked up. Draco was frowning at her._

_ "Riley? Are you-" A mass of hands came out of the wall behind Draco. They wrapped around his mouth, arms, legs, waist, and neck, pulling him into the shadows of the architecture. Riley's eyes widened._

_ "Draco!" She reached out and grabbed onto his hand as half of his body was engulfed in the shadows. He was struggling to free himself, but nothing seemed to be working. His grip on her hand was tight and almost desperate. Riley pulled and pulled, muttering under her breath. Just as the shadow hands began to lose their fight from her spells and control of the realm, another batch would come up and grab Draco from her. She began to hear whispers coming from the beings._

_ "Let go,"_

_ "We've got them both,"_

_ "We'll kill them,"_

_ "Kill them,"_

_ "Kill!" They whispered. Riley saw Draco's eyes widen. _

_ "It's a trick. Don't listen to them Draco! They find the weaknesses in your heart and use them against you!" She pleaded. The hands just kept coming and Riley's hand was becoming slick from sweat. She felt Draco's own grip loosening._

_ "Draco don't let go!" She begged. "Don't let go!" She said to him again. Half of his face was in the wall. His eye flickered to her. Her eyes widened as she saw a steady stream of tears coming from the grey orbs. His fingers disentangled from hers. She scrambled for his wrist._

_ "No! Draco don't let go!" Her voice was wracked with desperation. His grasp released her hand and he was swallowed by the darkness. Riley fell forward, scraping her knees against the cold stone floor. Her hands tightened in to fists and she leaned forward. She pressed her forehead to the floor as tears spilled forth from her eyes._

_ "What have I done?" She asked herself silently. The candle in the middle of the room flickered, then blew out._


	5. False Markings

Bitten : False Markings

Startling awake, Riley found herself in a hospital bed in the Infirmary building. Pressing her palms to her eyes, she tried to figure out what had happened. She had forced Draco into a sleep-like state where she influenced his dreams to show her what was allowing his dreams to be entered. She'd found him chained by what seemed to be bones to a wall in a dark room with a single candle. He seemed lost in the darkness, which meant that he was feeling desperation, depression, or insecurity. The single, almost burnt out candle means that he was searching for the truth. But what about his restraints? Why were they made from bones? They had seemed to be broken and put back together to create the chains. Broken bones usually told Riley that Draco had realized a weakness in his plans.

Riley removed her hands from her eyes and looked around. The walls had no adornments. The paint was a dull and chipping, pale white. The windows were streaked with lime build up and the curtains stained from years of dust. She rubbed her eyes again, inhaling deeply. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that she knew who Draco was bonded to. It was all too obvious.

Riley laid back down on the bed. The coils were old and stuck into her back. The pillow was stiff and smelled like death. Well, that part was probably just Riley's imagination. She glanced around the room again, with nothing else to do. There were about twenty beds, ten on each side of the room. There were curtains available to give the occupants some privacy. She glanced at the bed next to her, which had the curtains pulled shut. Being the inquisitive Hufflepuff that she was, Riley sat up on her elbow and reached over for the curtain. Just as her fingers brushed against the rough fabric she heard footsteps coming towards the room. Quickly, she settled back onto the bed. Closing her eyes, she acted like she was still sleeping.

"..found them both in the Room of Requirement?" Asked a voice. The voice sounded female.

"Yes." Came the reply. The voice belonged to, without a doubt, Professor Snape. The two speakers rounded the corner and entered the room.

"It seems as if they're both still unconscious." Said the female voice, now recognizable as Professor McGonagall. "What do you think happened, Severus?" Snape shook his head, the shuffling of his robes alerting Riley to the motion.

"They were in the Room of Requirement passed out on the floor. There didn't seem to be any foul play." He said slowly. Riley heard the two adults stop between her bed and the curtained bed.

"Sterling of Hufflepuff dorms, right?" McGonagall asked. Snape nodded.

"And Malfoy." Snape responded. The curtain of the other bed was pulled back a little, the ringlets of the curtain ringing as they were slid back. Riley opened one eye and was relieved when she saw that both teachers had their back to her.

She glanced around them and had to stifle a gasp. Draco was laying on the bed next to her. The snake markings had disappeared but his face was even more pale than normal. He looked almost like a corpse.

"I just don't understand it." McGonagall muttered. "Sterling and Malfoy never interacted with each other in my class. What about in yours?" Snape shook his head again.

"I would be surprised if Sterling was even aware that other people, let alone Malfoy, even existed within this world." McGonagall had to cover a laugh with a fake cough. Riley glared at Snape's back.

"Although I will admit that she is not the most self-aware of those I've seen, she is frighteningly sharp." Snape glanced back at Riley over his shoulder and Riley had just enough wit to close her eyes at the fluctuation of his shoulder muscles.

"I agree with you on that note, Professor." He said slowly. Turning back to face Draco he sighed. "Ever since the incident with You-Know-Who, he's seemed different."

"But that's only to be expected. With his father in Azkaban, I'm sure his mother is a nervous wreck. You're close to the Malfoys, are you not Severus?"

"In a sense of the term. I am the boy's godfather." He replied. Riley's eyes widened. Professor Snape was Draco's godfather? However, her suspicions of Draco's bond were confirmed when Snape mentioned the Dark Lord.

Riley felt her face pale. She'd gone up against the Dark Lord's hold on Draco and had come out alive. She steadied the delicate tremors running down her spine. She knew she had been taught the ancient arts by the greatest master of them, but she never understood just how useful that was. She saw out of the corner of her eye, McGonagall reach down and run her fingers across something on Draco's arm.

"It's an ugly thing, the Dark Mark," she commented quietly. The silence hung in the air like a foul stench. Another thing was revealed to Riley and she knew just how Draco was bonded to the Dark Lord.

"This was what Draco thought he wanted," Snape hissed, "But he didn't realize just exactly what he was getting in to. The Dark Lord is basically using his family's safety against him I'm sure." His voice drawled. That explained the restraints made of broken bones in Draco's unconscious mind. Although he had realized the faults in his plans, there was no way to escape from them. What truths could he be looking for? Riley understood now that the creatures that had pulled Draco back into the Dark Lord's hold—fiends, they were called-with the threat of harming his parents. Snape couldn't be any more right.

"Do you think their condition has anything to do with-?"

"It wouldn't surprise me." Riley could practically hear Snape's eyes narrow. "But somehow, I think there's more to it than just that." Both were quiet for a moment as they contemplated that.

"Well, we'll report the current situation to the Headmaster. Shall we?" McGonagall said cheerfully. Their footsteps receded from the room and soon ceased altogether.

Riley stared at the ceiling for a moment. Something wasn't adding up. When she touched Draco's hand, they were repelled because of his Mark. But that wasn't textbook to the Mark. She got up, stumbling a bit as the strength returned to her legs. She was dizzy as she brought a chair to his bedside. She pulled the curtains away. However, should some nurses come, she didn't wish to be found missing. She cast a projection charm and created a second image of herself in her bed. She closed the front half of his curtains and extended the rods, allowing a little space between the bed and the curtain for her to sit. She sat within the drapes of Draco's bed and just looked at him for a moment.

Indeed his face was pale, but his breathing seemed to be normal. His veins were a light blue and more noticeable than she remembered. His arms were on top of the sheets tucked around his body. She stared at the Mark on his left forearm. It looked like it was supposed to, but it just wasn't right at the same time. She reached out and gently touched it. A spark ignited between their fingers and Riley flinched back.

"Strange," she murmured. She'd never heard of a Dark Mark reacting to someone and when McGonagall had touched it nothing had happened to her. So why was it trying to keep Riley away? She reached out again, murmuring Ancients under her breath. There was a smoldering sound as a bit of smoke rose from the contact of her skin on his again. She pressed her palm just under his elbow above the Mark. Slowly, and continuing her spells, she slid her hand down over the cursed thing. As she moved her hand across it, an angry smoke rose into the air, smelling of death. This time it wasn't Riley's imagination. The scent was pungent, smelling of decomposing flesh and bodily fluids not meant to be outside of the body. Being half way down the mark, she saw it was disappearing. Just as she had thought, the mark was a fake. It was really just a curse and acted as an entrance into Draco's mind. Riley choked on the smoke and was caught in a fit of coughs. But she continued to let her hand dissipate the curse mark. When she had completely lifted it from Draco's skin, the colour almost immediately returned to his face. He let out a small breath and his entire body seemed to relax.

Riley couldn't breathe. She choked and wheezed, trying to catch her breath. It was like something had entered her body and was wrapping around her lungs. It squeezed until her lungs could not expand and she was getting no oxygen. She stood from the chair, trying to run and get help. But her legs collapsed under her, making her knock into the chair. It clattered to the floor, sliding near the bed next to Draco's. Riley coughed and held herself up by clinging to the sheets on Draco's bed. She was becoming drowsy and her vision blurring. The strength from her body was fading. With a glance in Draco's direction, Riley fell to the floor. She lay on her side, her right arm extended from her body. The limp appendage was visible outside of the curtains surrounding Draco's bed from the elbow to her hand. Her eyes had become blank and empty and her skin was turning grey. It was almost as if she'd been petrified by looking at a Basilisk in a puddle of water.


	6. Inside the Darkness

Bitten : Inside the Darkness

_Draco was in the Room of Requirement. It was dark, but somehow didn't feel heavy like it used to. He felt calm and peaceful. He looked around and was alone in the room, nothing unfamiliar to him. His left arm was itching. He absently scratched at it with his right hand. He walked a little in the room and found the candle that always lit it. He blinked and leaned down. The candle was indeed red and brand new. He reached out with his right hand to inspect the candle and saw something on his fingers. He paled when he recognized the liquid. His eyes darted to his left arm. Where his Dark Mark should have been were the initials "RS". It was written in blood. The blood swelled and spilled over, dripping down his skin and onto the floor. _

_ Stepping back from the candlelight, Draco tripped over himself. He landed on the floor with a harsh thud. He crawled backwards away from the red candle which seemed to be dripping blood instead of wax. His hand brushed against something and he spun around. He let out a yell as his eyes adjusted to the light._

_ A body was sprawled in an awkward position. Their skin was greying and the head was turned the other direction. The body was half on it's side, the torso turned away from Draco. Draco slowly extended his hands. He placed his palm on their shoulder and turned them so they were laying on their back. A surprised yelp escaped his lips as Riley's head flopped towards him. Her eyes were blank and lifeless. He brushed some hair from her face and flinched back when he felt how cold her skin was. He moved back a little when he saw her mouth opening slowly. He stared silently as a dark green snake slithered from between her lips. It exited her body and rose its head to look at Draco. Neither moved for a moment, then the snake disappeared into the darkness. Draco stared where the snake had vanished, then slid his gaze slowly back to Riley's body. Black tears were flowing from her eyes. Draco's eyes widened._

_ "Save me," she whimpered, her milky eyes slicing to his gaze, "it hurts. I can't breathe. Save me!" Draco shook his head. He began to move back away from her. He opened his mouth to reply, but Riley let out a blood-curdling scream as she was suddenly pulled into the darkness._

_ "Riley!" Draco yelled. He lunged forward and grabbed at her. She was scratching at the floor with her nails, trying to catch herself. Draco could just barely reach her. He grabbed desperately at her wrist. Pained screams came from her blue lips. Draco looked at her wrist and saw his fingers turned in to claws. Blood was seeping from where he was grasping her skin. He didn't know what to do. As he was trying to save her, he was causing her even more pain. Riley's body shook with fear and her chest heaved with sobs._

_ "Please," she begged, looking up at him," don't let go." Her voice was so soft it nearly broke Draco's heart. He knew how much pain his claws were causing her. She turned her face away and seemed to shrink. Her face scrunched up as she cried out. The hands that were coming from the darkness began to whisper._

_ "Useless,"_

_ "Ugly,"_

_ "Dumb," they hoarsely said. Draco saw the shudder tear through Riley's body. She shook her head violently._

_ "You're wrong! You're wrong!" She screamed at the monsters. Her eyes went to Draco's again. This time there was a desperate strength in them._

_ "Draco, listen to me please. I'm losing. You're free now. Please, wake up. Get help. Wake up! Wake up now!" She screamed at him. Draco was stunned in to silence. He knew it was a dream, but something seemed so real about it. He also had a feeling if he woke up, Riley would be pulled in to the darkness by the fiends like he had. He shook his head._

_ "I can't leave you to them!" He shouted back. Riley choked out a sob as fresh tears spilled on to her cheeks. She looked up at him. Her lips twitched up into a trembling smile._

_ "Thank you, but please. My body is in danger. I'll be safe in the Realm of Dreams. If you need __guidance, I'll be in your dreams. Draco, I nee-" She said. But suddenly there was no sound from her lips. A disembodied scream came from nowhere, ripping Draco from his dream._

Draco was startled awake by the continuation of the scream from his dream. He was in a bed in what he assumed was the Infirmary. The curtains were pulled around his bed. He sat up, hearing the patter of a nurse running out of the room. His head felt like someone was squeezing it as hard as they could. He heard a barrage of fast paced steps rushed in to the room.

"Where is she?" Asked Professor McGonagall.

"N-Near Master Malfoy's bed. I just came in to check on them and she was-" The nurse choked off. The steps stopped at the foot of Malfoy's bed. He couldn't see because of the drawn curtains, but he heard the gasp from McGonagall.

"Get the Headmaster. Hurry!" She hissed at the nurse. As the nurse ran from the room, Draco's curtains were quickly pulled away. McGonagall blinked at Draco who responded in turn. She turned her attention away from him and bent down. Draco almost couldn't believe when McGonagall picked up Riley's limp body. It looked like she'd been petrified, accept for the free movement of her limbs. She was placed gently on the bed next to Draco's. He stared, stunned, at Riley. Her eyes were open and glassy and skin grey. Just like in his dream, he thought.

"Professor, what's going on?" He asked.

"Your guess is probably better than mine Malfoy." She said hurriedly. He looked Riley over again. He kept waiting for a snake to come from her mouth. He suddenly remembered and looked down at his left forearm. He was even more stunned to find that his skin was bare. There was no Dark Mark. Riley had done it. She'd broken his bond with Voldemort. He looked up at her. But at what cost? Dumbledore strode into the room, his robes swishing about his ankles. He glanced at McGonagall, who nodded and left. He stood next to Riley's bedside and looked at Draco. Draco looked at his Headmaster with wide eyes. Dumbledore smiled gently, the wrinkles around his eyes crinkling.

"I will warn you right now, this is not going to be pretty." He said softly.

Dumbledore took out his wand and muttered a few things. Riley began to shake. Her eyes snapped open and she screamed. Her hands grasped at the bedsheets. Her body writhed around on the bed as she snarled and growled. She bared her teeth and spat and hissed. Crying out in pain, she threw her head from side to side. Her body arched off the bed and choking noises came from her throat. Her mouth was open wide in a silent scream. A black mist rose out of her mouth. It swirled angrily in the air until Dumbledore destroyed it with a spell.

Riley's body fell back onto the bed. She was unconscious, but breathing. Slowly, the colour was returning to her skin. Dumbledore let out a breath.

"She's very strong. Can I trust you to look after her, Draco?" He asked warmly. Draco blinked, then huffed. But, he shrugged very minutely. With another kind smile, Dumbledore left. Draco heard him giving instructions to a small group of nurses. Draco felt something swirling in his stomach. He felt sick, or like there were butterflies fluttering around inside of him. He got up out of bed, standing next to Riley. He looked down at her. He glanced at his bare forearm and then at his hand. His fingers were normal, not claws. He reached out and brushed hair from her face. It was sticking to her skin because of a sheen layer of sweat that covered her. She was warm, alive. He ran his fingers gently across her skin. It was so soft and real.

Draco blinked, pulling his hand away as if she'd burned him. He held his hand against his chest. Staring at her, he couldn't understand what was happening. What was he feeling? He righted the chair that was on the floor next to his bed. He placed it next to Riley's bed and sat there. He watched her till his eyes grew heavy.

"I'll just close my eyes for a minute." He mumbled as he laid his head on Riley's bed. His arms created a pillow for him. He quickly drifted off to sleep.


	7. Realm of Dreams

Bitten : Realm of Dreams

It had been almost a week since Draco and Riley were admitted into the Infirmary. Draco was up and walking around, but was still not able to go to his classes. The teachers were worried about the aftermath. Word of Draco's Dark Mark disappearing would have spread, had anyone known about it. Draco was never exactly sure how to handle the new responsibility. So his Dark Mark had come and gone, with no one knowing about it. Well, no one except Riley.

Draco looked up from his Ancient Runes homework at the bed next to his. Riley laid there, still as a statue. She had not regained consciousness since Dumbledore had expelled the curse from her body. Apparently, something had messed with her brain. Nothing was wrong with her body. She seemed to be suspended in time.

Draco put his pen down. He set his notebook and textbook next to him, making the pillow-top sink. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. His eyes lazily wondered the length of Riley's body. Her skin had become pale and similar to porcelain. Her hair was silky and shone in the incandescent light. Draco reached up to touch her hair, but stopped. His hand was halfway extended towards her. Very slowly, he brought it back to his side.

Draco stood up, suddenly needing to be anywhere else. He was still for a moment, then sat back on the edge of the bed. Sighing, he moved his homework to the table next to him. He laid down on top of the covers.

Draco glanced back over at Riley again. Her position had not changed. His eyes took in not only her body, but the flowers and get well cards next to her bed. There was nothing but homework in various stages of completion near his. He huffed with a sort of annoyance and flopped onto his side, his back to Riley. He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

_Draco was in a field. He was all by himself. Wondering around, his feet crunched in the charred dirt. The soil was dry and cracked; desolate and barren. As he walked, he noticed a change in the ground. There seemed to be small plants and grasses beginning to grow in the middle. It was a circular area of light green. As he walked, he noticed someone laying in the thickest part of the circle. The second he stepped both feet onto the grass, flames engulfed the area around him. The heat was immense and Draco quickly hurried closer to the center of the untouched grass._

_ The person, he soon realized, was Riley once again. She seemed to be popping up in his dreams recently. He walked over to her. She was in a simple, white sundress that made her skin seem even more pale than it already was. She had thick, iron cuffs on her wrists, bruising around them, with a few links of chain before there was a broken link at the end. However, a single opal in each cuff, giving them an animalistic beauty. Around her crown was a thin, silver band that came down to a point between her eyes on her forehead. Where the lines curved down, set in the silver, was a square-cut ruby. A long, silver chain ran down to her bosom with a black stone that Draco couldn't identify._

_ Reaching out, Draco brushed the back of his hand across her cheek. She was warm and breathing. He let out a breath and sat down, crossing his legs under him. He frowned. Why was he relieved? Suddenly, the ground began to rumble. Cracks cut through the ground around Riley. A gasping breath, shook her body as her eyes sprang open. She had no pupils and the eerily blue irises had become a light, spooky grey. Her body trembled with shivers as tears streamed down her face. With shaky breaths, she turned her face and looked at Draco. _

_ Riley smiled at him._

_ "You found me." She whispered. She started to sit up and became dizzy. Draco steadied her as she held her hand to her temples._

_ "Sorry," she murmured, "I'm still a bit weak." Draco nodded._

_ "You did it." He said simply. She smiled again._

_ "But it's not gone yet." Draco frowned. He looked down at his left forearm. It was still bare. She chuckled._

_ "Physically, yes. It's gone. But now..." Her voice trailed off. He looked at her and something __seemed to possess him. He reached out and gently wrapped her small hand between his. _

_ "Can I," he paused as he searched for the word, "help?" His eyes came up and looked in to hers. Her mouth was open slightly in surprise. Then, very slowly, she shook her head._

_ "There's nothing you can do." She pulled her hand from his grasp, holding it curled to her chest. Her face turned away and Draco felt the ground shake again. He looked around them and saw that the flames had begun to lick at the green grass._

_ "You must go," Riley whispered shakily. He looked at her again and flinched. Thin vines with thorns were beginning to crawl up her legs._

_ "Riley you're-"_

_ "Trapped here." She laughed solemnly, "In this world that which I control best, I cannot escape." Her eyes turned back to him. "It's sad really." She reached up and cupped his face in her hands, vines slowly wrapping around her arms._

_ "You can't stay here. It's not a place for you." The flames roared around them. Draco shook his head._

_ "I can't just leave you!" He hissed. She smiled again._

_ "You have to. I'm dealing with your curse. If you stay, you'll be susceptible to it again." Draco frowned. She continued, "The field you walked through, that is my waking self. I am slowly healing, the grass you can see. But sometimes," she motioned to the angry fires surrounding them, "it comes back." She leaned forward, placing her forehead on his. He felt her shaking. The ruby on the crown across her forehead cut into his skin. He stared at her, seeing that it cut into her skin too, causing delicate strings of ruby red blood to fall down her skin._

_ "Trust me, okay?" She whispered. Her breath smelled sweet, like honey._

_ "Riley," he said equally soft. She frowned, her eyes closing shut tightly._

_ "Now go, you can't stay here any longer!" Her voice was shaking. She pulled away just as the vines encircled her face. She was pulled back to the ground, laying on the ground. _

_ Riley's eyes drooped half closed. The opals on her cuffs began to glow._

_ "This realm," she said dreamily, "it needs me." The blood dripped from her face, through her hair, and onto the ground. Seals formed where the blood hit the ground. Red lines began to connect around her body. They shot out in jagged bolts into the fire. The flames turned an angry purple and forest green. Demented faces were recognizable within the fire. Draco looked back to Riley. Her eyes had closed and she looked just like she did in the waking world. What she was doing, was fighting. She was a soldier for both sides. The light from the opals surrounded Draco and Riley, forcing him to shield his eyes. The seals underneath her glowed blue. The orb of light burst like a bubble and screams came from the raging inferno as it vanished. Smoke was left behind and field smoldered like a doused fire. Draco looked around, then back at Riley. She was motionless once again._


	8. Obelisk of Nightmare

Bitten

The Obelisk of Nightmare

Draco stifled a yawn. The professor's voice droned on like a machine. Draco closed his eyes. He was so tired. Every time he would sleep, Riley would appear in his dreams. It was always the destroyed field. But as of late, small grasses and plants were growing everywhere. The last time he had visited Riley there was an obsidian obelisk hat had been erected.

_ The obelisk was no more than four feet tall. It was shaped much like an old grandfather clock, coming to a point at the top. The smooth surface of the sides was riddled with strange markings. They were very similar to the runes Draco had studied in Ancient Runes. But—while maintaining a certain delicacy—they seemed more primal._

_ "What are these symbols?" He'd asked once. Riley turned away from a Perseid tree and walked over to him._

_ "They're called Ancients." She said. Draco gave her a confused look._

_ "I've never heard of them."_

_ "Well, they aren't commonly practiced." She chuckled, "In fact, they're only studied by Oneiromancers and Occlumens, and a few of those at that." Draco glanced at the Ancients._

_ "You call them ancients, so they must be based off Latin. Which I can see some Latin roots in them." Riley giggled._

_ "You've got it backwards. The Ancients are the original language."_

_ "You must be joking." He sneered, "The original language is Egyptian and the oldest written word is Latin."_

_ "And you were completely and unbreakably bound to You-Know-Who." She retorted. Draco sighed._

_ "Fine. You may have a point." He murmured. Riley smiled sweetly._

_ "Do you want to know what it says?" She asked softly. Draco looked at the structure then shook his head._

_ "Somehow, I don't think I want to know." He turned away from the obelisk. Riley hadn't followed after him._

Draco sighed, coming back to Professor Binns' droll lesson. He felt almost bad about the way he had treated Riley. He'd blatantly rejected wanting to learn anything about Riley's world. He remembered vaguely Riley mentioned that dreams were the world she controlled best. Other than their conversation about the Ancients, he'd never shown even a remote interest in what Riley did.

The bell rang and students nearly fell over themselves trying to leave. Draco collected his things and rose from his chair. He turned to leave and was stopped in his tracks. Stephanie Cradey was staring him down. She looked like she was going to blow a gasket.

"What do you want?" He hissed. She opened her mouth then closed it, then opened it once again.

"It's all your fault!" Draco blinked.

"What in the world are you going on about?" Stephanie let out a frustrated breath.

"Riley can't wake up because of you!" Draco was silent for a minute.

"She can't wake up?" He asked slowly. She made an incredulous noise.

"Isn't that obvious? Or are you really that self-absorbed?" Neither of them spoke for a moment. They both seemed to be absorbing the new information. Stephanie sighed and looked down. Her left arm came up and rubbed her right arm.

"She visits me in my dreams," she said softly, "That's how I know." She shook her head.

"I don't know what to do. I can't help her because I have no idea what exactly is going on. Harry doesn't know either and I feel like I can't turn to anyone. But, even though she can't return to the waking world, all she is worried about is you." Draco blinked again.

"Me?" Stephanie nodded again.

"She always asks how you're doing. I yelled at her the other night and I think I really hurt her."

_ The construct for dreams with Stephanie were different than the ones with Draco. When Riley was with Stephanie, they were always in the Gryffindor common room. Riley stood by the large fireplace that cracked with life as the flames devoured the wood. Stephanie gazed at her friend._

_ "You've become thin." Stephanie said. Riley didn't start, but her hands that were clenched behind her back tightened slightly._

_ "How's Draco? Is he still coming to class?" Riley's voice floated through the air._

_ "Yes. He's still the arrogant dumb-ass that he usually is."_

_ "Steph."_

_ "Sorry, I'm a lady so I shouldn't curse. But it's true! Anyway, I don't care about him, where have you been? I'm actually starting to learn things because you aren't there to distract me!" Riley didn't answer. Stephanie frowned._

_ "Riley? Is something wrong?" Riley continued to stare in to the flames._

_ "Draco," she began softly, "asked me to help him." _

_ Stephanie listened wide-eyed as Riley told her the story of Draco's Dark Mark and how she had manged to remove it._

_ "Riley! That's amazing!" Stephanie exclaimed as she jumped up from her seat. "Why haven't you been welcomed with a hero's welcome? I mean, you beat out You-Know-Who!" Riley laughed softly._

_ "Something like that," she whispered. Stephanie's eyebrows came together in a frown._

_ "What are you saying? Did something go wrong?" Riley turned to face her friend. Stephanie gasped._

_ Riley's vibrant silvery eyes had become dull and clouded. Her skin was stretched tight across her frame. Stephanie hadn't noticed earlier, but Riley's hair had also lost it's luster._

_ "Riley, what's happened?" Stephanie breathed. Riley smiled softly._

_ "When I destroyed Draco's Mark, it turned in to smoke. Some form of final defense I suppose. I ended up inhaling it. Headmaster Dumbledore was able to remove and counter the physical effects of it on my body." _

_ "Then why do you look like this?" Stephanie hissed._

_ "This isn't my physical body. This is what I would look like if the curse had not been removed. Slowly, the aftereffects are eating away at my soul."_

_ "Riley!" Stephanie grabbed her friend's wrists and looked her directly in the eyes. "How do I fix this? What can I do to help? Come and tell me!" Riley stared back at her friend, heartbroken. She bit the inside of her lip and shifted her gaze to the floor._

_ "I can't wake up." She whispered. Stephanie's eyes widened and her heart stopped._

_ "What? What did you just say?" Riley shook her head._

_ "I can't wake up. My connection to the waking world was severed. The curse infiltrated my being and confined me to this place."_

_ "I won't accept that! There has to be something someone can do! Riley, please!" Stephanie begged, her grip on Riley's thin hands tightening._

_ "I'm the only one who knows how to create a bond to the waking world. Besides, even if I did explain everything to you, you're not nearly strong enough to perform the spell."_

_ "Then Harry—"_

_ "No. It's too dangerous. Even for BoyWonder." She added with a chuckle. Her eyes flickered back up to Stephanie's._

_ "Sorry Stephanie. Looks like I lost this time."_

Stephanie finished her story. She felt like she was going to fall apart. Tears clutched at her eyes and she had to clench her hands to keep them from shaking.

"Riley has never used my full name." Stephanie whispered. Draco stood there, still as a statue.

Stephanie shook her head and pressed her hands to her eyes.

"I just don't know what to do anymore. I tried researching in the library but they don't have any good textbooks. The only person who seems to have any idea on what's going on is Riley herself and she won't tell me anything!" She took a deep breath.

"I can't tell Harry and I'm not strong enough to do it myself. But even so, I have no idea why I came to you. For some reason, Riley seems to care an awful lot about you, Malfoy." She practically hissed. "She should hate you. Scorn you for being the cause of this. But I just," Her words were choked off by a sob.

"I can't come to hate you. That's just how Riley is. She's always trying to help others, like it's some divine duty bestowed upon her." She wiped at her eyes and Draco saw a ring on the girl's thumb.

"That ring," he breathed. It had the exact same crosschecked sort of pattern as the shackles on Riley's wrists, but instead of an opal there was a small blue gem set in it. The gem was the same colour as the power Riley exerted sometimes. Stephanie blinked and looked at it.

"This? Riley gave it to me. She said it would protect me and help me keep a level head about things." She laughed slightly. "Funny, I teased Riley for giving me it and now it's all I'll have of her."

"Is there anything written on it?" He asked. Stephanie blinked again and took it off. She examined it and shook her head.

"I don't see anything." Draco held out his hand.

"Let me see it." He ordered. Stephanie stared at him, but slowly handed it over to him.

Draco closed his eyes.

_"Well, if they're so important, why aren't they used nowadays?" Draco'd asked one time. Riley looked up at him._

_ "What? The Ancients?" He nodded._

_ "You spoke so highly of them." _

_ "They're everywhere. You can see them if you just look for them." Draco blinked, and looked around. He was silent for a second, then looked back at Riley._

_ "I don't see anything." Riley sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose._

_ "Close your eyes and trust me, okay?" Draco made an exasperated noise, but closed his eyes all the same._

_ "Imagine a half moon. You can only see half of it, but you know the whole thing still exists. Now make it so that you can only see the other side. Again, you can only see half, but you know the moon is still there. Switch back. Once again. Now make it so you can see the entire moon." After a moment, Draco had it._

_ "Good, now open your eyes." Slowly, the grey orbs opened. He gasped slightly. Rune-like letters and words swirled all around. They made up the trees, the sky, the ground, everything around him. He stared in amazement. Riley smiled softly._

_ "It's just a matter of how you look at things, Draco."_

He imagined his half moon, switched it once, switched it again, and then saw the whole thing. Then he opened his eyes. The Ancients were all around. But he focused his sight on the ring. Sure enough, there was a string of special looking Ancients on the inside of the band.

"That's it." He whispered. Stephanie blinked.

"What? Did you figure something out?" He looked up at her.

"I need to borrow this." He said, holding up the ring. Stephanie was still for a moment, then seemed to snap out of her daze. She nodded her head quickly.

"Sure of course." Leaving his things, he hurried out of the room. He could barely keep his pace at a brisk walk. His fingers were curled tightly around the ring. It burned in his palm.

"Hang on Riley. I'm coming." He whispered.

Draco practically skidded in to the Infirmary wing. A nurse that was changing the bedsheets was startled. Draco hurried to the chair he had become familiar with next to Riley's bed. He sat down and glared up at the nurse. She startled a bit and quickly left the room. Draco let out a breath.

"What am I doing?" He asked himself. But nonetheless, he didn't like owing favors. It was time to repay his debt to Riley.

Draco took Riley's cool hand in his and held it firmly. He held her hand at his forehead and placed his head on the bed. He forced himself to sleep and quickly entered the Dream Realm.


	9. Link

Bitten

Link

_Draco was back in Riley's construct gardens. She had told him once the inspiration for the area, but at the moment, the information escaped him. He looked around to see what had changed since he had last been there._

_ The ground was completely covered with lush, green grass and bright, vibrant flowers. He also saw a small garden with many herbs he recognized from class and others he didn't. Trees had grown, harboring fruits that looked like they would explode with juice at any moment. The steel grey eyes glanced around but didn't see Riley._

_ "Riley?" He called out. There was no answer, save the whistling of wind among the leaves. Draco walked around, ending up back at the obelisk. He studied it again, the tendrils of darkness slithering off the black sides. The runes almost glowed a thirsty red. A shiver ran down the length of his spine. Jeez, where was Riley? _

_ Draco continued to search the realm. He eventually stumbled upon a small, single-room house. It had a steeped, thatched roof. The door was open slightly, leading in to the cramped room. The walls were red and brown brick, but they were quickly being overrun by vines and other plants. There was one square window, the window panes dusty and broken. Draco walked slowly to the structure, thinking that the ground would fall out from under his own feet._

_ He pushed open the door, peering inside. The floor was earthen with no rugs. The only furniture in the house was a bed at the back of the room._

_ "Riley!" He exclaimed, finally coming in to the room. He jumped as the door slammed shut behind him. The light in the room dimmed, the darkness from the obelisk obscuring the windows._

_ "Oh great," he murmured. He felt just as trapped as Riley was. Maybe that was exactly what was happening._

_ The room turned cold as the sunshine dissipated. More shivers tore through his body as an ominous feeling entered the room. He walked to the back of the room, finding Riley on the bed. She was laying there—suspended in time—just like she was in the waking world. But she looked to be in pain._

_ Draco knelt down next to her and gently placed his forehead on Riley's. She was burning up! A cold sweat created a sheen layer on her pale skin. A gentle groan came from her lips. Slowly, her eyelids opened to reveal hazy silver eyes._

_ "Draco?" She whispered, "What are you doing?" Her voice was soft and shaking. It was like it was painful for her to speak. He raised himself slightly, just so their foreheads were no longer touching._

_ "Your mind can't handle the strain of constantly being in the Dream Realm, can it?" He asked gently. Riley didn't answer. Draco felt a strange emotion welling up inside of him, desperation maybe?_

_ "You knew this would happen the whole time?" The cloudy, liquid silver orbs flittered sideways. Her head nodded slightly._

_ "I knew it was a possibility," she began, "If something went horribly wrong, that is. It always is. Like swimming in the ocean, it's always possible to drown." A moment of silence followed then a soft smile spread across her lips. She looked him back in the eyes._

_ "I knew that if I told you, you would have never agreed to any of it." Draco was startled when he felt the gentle brush of her fingertips against his cheek. Her palm was cool as it pressed to his cheek._

_ "You have a big heart, Draco. Even if you don't show it." Something inside Draco twisted painfully and made it hard to swallow. _

_ "Tch," he snorted, "Like I care what happens to some nobody." He tried, but his voice just couldn't muster the usual venom. The smile remained on her lips, but a little sparkle in her eyes dimmed._

_ "Of course not," she whispered. Her hand fell from his face. He moved like he was going to catch it, but stopped himself mid-motion._

_ Riley let out a breath and closed her eyes._

_ "I'm so tired Draco," she breathed, "I don't think I can hold out much longer." She admitted. That much seemed to be true. The house was almost shaking with the beating it was receiving from the darkness. Draco had had a plan, but now it seemed dumb. How could such a thing really work? He looked down into his palm at the ring there. He stared for a long time, then let out a breath._

_ "I don't like owing favors, Riley." He muttered. Riley opened her eyes and looked at him._

_ "You just need a link back to the waking world right?" She was still for a moment, but then slowly nodded. He sighed and stood up, looking down at her._

_ "I'll be your link." He said firmly. Riley's eyes widened and she sat up a little._

_ "Draco, you ca—" Her body began to shake with coughs that ripped through her. Draco gently placed her back on to the bed._

_ "I know what I'm doing." He lied, "I did a little research while you were away. Turns out the dusty books in the back of the library are always the ones with the most interesting information." Riley made a face that was part fear and disbelief and part hopefulness. _

_ "Draco," she whispered. Her eyes watched as his hand tightened and his throat moved as he swallowed hard._

_ "I can do this." He said firmly, not sure if he was reassuring Riley or himself. Her eyes bore into his for a moment more, then she closed them._

_ "I trust you." Her voice and resolution washed over him like a calming wave. But his stomach twisted again. His plan had to work. He would create a link to the waking world to him through the ring. He knelt down by Riley and took her left hand. _

_ Draco really had done some research. As he placed the ring on her ring finger—the finger of bonds—he whispered a incantation used for portkeys and the such. It was modified a little, being in Ancients rather than the original incantation. The ring slipped on her finger perfectly. _

_ Riley gasped and flinched. Her body arched, her back raising off the bed. Small, strangling noises came from her throat. Draco looked up suddenly._

_ "Riley! Are you—" _

_ "Keep going!" She yelled, a scream following after. The opals in the cuffs on her wrists turned red and cracks started to appear in the gems. _

_ "I'm fine!" She clenched her teeth and curled her opposite hand into a fist, her fingernails drawing blood on her palm. The gem in the ring glowed a bright blue-green, pushing to every corner of the room and streaking out the windows. The darkness outside shrieked and reeled back, turning into puffs of smoke. Cracks and large tears began to appear in the home. The walls all crumbled, the roof falling around Draco and Riley. _

_ The light from the ring traveled in shots of blue lightning up Riley's skin, breaking the opal cuffs in small explosions that resulted in the destruction of different things in the Realm. Draco looked around and saw the garden falling away. Everything was crumbling, except for the Perseid tree. All of the jewelry that had been on Riley was now shattered and disappearing in falling stardust. Everything fell away and it was just Riley and Draco in nothing but darkness. But it wasn't an oppressive darkness, just a state of limbo with no matter. _

_ Draco was falling straight down, head first. Where would he land? He closed his eyes and waited, expecting the worse. Then he felt a warm at his hands. Fingers gently intertwined with his and pulled him upright. He didn't open his eyes but held tight to the slender hands that held his fate. They pulled him close and wrapped around his torso._

_ "Thank you," whispered an ethereal voice. Shivers traveled down Draco's spine. He knew the voice, but he couldn't quite place it._

_ "I thank you so much, but I can't let you know about me." It whispered. Draco opened his eyes and was greeted by steel grey blue eyes. She looked at him with sorrow in those metal-like orbs. Draco opened his mouth, but then shut it. He thought for a moment._

_ "You're going to make me forget?" He asked. The girl did not look away as she nodded._

_ "If people found out about everything, I wouldn't be able to live. They'd want to do experiments and tests on me. Maybe even make me a weapon. I couldn't live like that. Please understand." Draco had stopped listening. He reached forward, grabbing her chin in his hand. Then he leaned closer to her and captured her lips with his. Large bursts of light exploded around them. _

Draco felt a soft warmth on his lips. He opened his eyes and blinked. Riley was laying under him, but why was he so close to her face? With a sudden realization, he jerked back away from Riley's bed. He crashed against the bed next to hers—formerly his bed. The chair he had been in toppled over, clattering to the ground. He held his hand to his mouth. Had he really just kissed Riley?

He felt something cold against his lips. He lowered his hand and blinked. There was a ring that looked just like the one he'd used as a link for Riley on his ring finger on his left hand. The gem, however, was carnelian. He glanced at Riley's hand. There wasn't a ring. He then stood a bit, looking over her gently rising and falling chest at her left hand. The small zircon jewel winked at him in the light. He sat down on the edge of his bed and let out a breath. The colour had returned to Riley's face and now she seemed like she was just sleeping rather than in a comatose state. Suddenly Draco felt more tired than he had ever been. His body fell sideways on to the bed. He looked at Riley, smirked, then closed his eyes.

"I guess that makes you and me even, huh?" He said softly. Now they wouldn't have anything to do with each other ever again. Riley was finally out of Draco's hair. That was a relief to him, right?


	10. Unexpected

Bitten

Unexpected

When Draco awoke on the bed in the infirmary, Riley wasn't around. He sat up, a fierce pulse pounding his brain. Pressing his hand to his temple, he glanced about the room.

"Oh! Master Malfoy!" Exclaimed a nurse. She scuffled over to him, her shoes dragging across the floor.

"It's understandable to want to visit your friends, but to the point of exhaustion is a bit much." She chided. Each of her words hammered in to Draco's skull like hot nails.

"Where's Riley?" He growled. The elderly nurse blinked, then smiled slyly at him.

"She's having a few tests run to make sure everything's fine and dandy. It's a miracle she's even awake. But it would be such a shame for such a cute girl to be comatose. She's lucky her Prince Charming was around to wake her up." The nurse closed with a wink and left.

What was that hag going on about? Draco shook his head. His body still felt heavy and his stomach churned nauseatingly. Laying down on his back, his face was staring at the water-stained ceiling tiles. After a moment, he raised his left hand up to block a light that was blaring down at him.

The dark black metal of his ring glinted and reflected the light. He tilted his palm this way and that. The deep red jewel stared back at him unflinchingly. Draco reached up with the opposite hand. With a gentle touch, he brushed his fingers over the ring. What was it? Why was it there? He grasped it and pulled. It didn't budge. He tried rotating it off and even that didn't work. He sighed and let his hands fall to his face so they covered his eyes. What had he gotten himself in to?

Two months passed by in a flash. Both Draco and Riley were out and about. Each blended back in as if they hadn't had any long absences. Draco was back to his cold self and Riley returned to her hectic school life. In her absence, many homework assignments had piled up. Because of the circumstances, Riley could only say she was gone due to family reasons. Most of the teachers didn't ask questions because they weren't aware that Riley really had no family to have problems with. But Snape and McGonagall just gave her the assignments and hurried her along. Riley was having some troubles getting the work done, but somehow she managed to get it all done. She was finishing a paper that had been assigned a few weeks in to her admittance in to the infirmary when there was a knock at her dorm room door. She looked up, putting her quill down.

"Come in," she called. The door creaked open and the blonde hair of her best friend appeared. Stephanie smiled and opened the door the rest of the way. Riley jumped up from her chair and rushed over to hug her friend in a rib-crushing hug.

"Oh! I missed you! Now that you're playing catch up, we never get to see each other outside of class." Stephanie said, smiling. Riley rolled her eyes dramatically.

"We never get to spend time together out of class because you're always all up in Harry's face, kissin' up on his lips."

"Hey, just because I have lots of affection for my boyfriend," They broke out in to girly giggles. They smiled at each other. Riley put the paper she'd been working on away and turned her desk chair towards the bed. Stephanie sat down on the edge of Riley's bed.

"But, speaking of boyfriends," Stephanie began, "I hear that a certain someone has been seen wearing a ring on his left hand." Riley blinked and tilted her head.

"What are you talking about?"

"Draco Malfoy! I see how you look at him. You're totally swooning." Riley blinked again, her mind growing blank.

"Are you saying that I have feelings towards," she paused, "Draco?" Stephanie mirrored Riley's earlier actions and rolled her eyes.

"No, I'm saying that Boba Fet and Grand Maf Tarkin are actually Draco's parents. Yes I'm saying you like Draco!" Stephanie and Riley just looked at each other for a moment. Riley sighed and looked up at the left corner of her ceiling. Her eyes stayed there for a moment, then traveled to the right corner.

"I may have," she paused again to find the right words, "stirrings." She said after a moment. Stephanie smirked evilly.

"Stirrings like feelings?" She asked slowly. Riley made a face, her eyebrows coming together.

"Stirrings like stirrings."

"So you mean feelings?" Stephanie repeated.

"All right maybe feelings, damn you!" Riley hissed, her face turning bright red. She placed her palms over her face, rubbing it slightly. Stephanie gasped. She leaned forward and grabbed Riley's wrist. She pulled the hand from Riley's face. Riley blinked as Stephanie stared at the hand. Actually she was looking at the ring on Riley's left ring finger.

"Oh my god!" Stephanie whispered, "Riley! This is gorgeous! When did you get it?" Riley looked down at the ring too. Why didn't Stephanie recognize it? The cross-hatched pattern on part of the ring that led to a single gem had been the exact same ring that Riley had given Stephanie at Stephanie's sweet sixteenth party. The blue gem twinkled at them and Riley thought it was mocking her. Go ahead and tell her where you got it, the ring laughed. Riley shook her head, withdrawing her hand from Stephanie's grasp.

"I can't remember, I've had it for a long time." She said gently.

"Well, if you recall, tell me 'cause I'd love to get one. It's super cute!" Stephanie squealed. "Hm, I wonder if they make them in matching pairs. Have you heard about the ring craze that's been going around campus?" Riley shook her head again, staring blankly at her friend. Stephanie let out an exasperated breath and rolled her eyes.

"Seriously Riley, it's like the only thing you do is keep your head in a book. Anyway, there's a new fad on campus. Everyone's wearing rings nowadays! If you wear paired rings on the right ring finger, it's a sign of friendship. A ring on the right middle finger means that you're single. But, the greatest status of all is to wear matching rings on the left ring finger signifies a couple!" She smiled and poked Riley's stomach.

"But since you didn't know, I understand why the ring's on the wrong finger. That is unless there's another ring out there that's paired to yours?" Stephanie asked, waggling her eyebrows at her best friend. Riley laughed nervously.

"There's no way. Besides, I don't pay attention to silly trends like that." Stephanie sighed and shook her head.

"There's just no hope for you Riley. I guess I'll just have to be the trendy one for us both." Riley raised an eyebrow to her friend.

"Are we expecting some rings from a certain BoyWonder?" Riley asked pointedly. A blush crept onto Stephanie's cheeks.

"Maybe we are." She giggled. Riley smiled softly. It was so good to be back to normal. She had been very worried about what would happen to her friend if she didn't return to the waking world.

Stephanie stayed over at Riley's for about another hour. After donning the wool cloak, she departed. Riley sighed, finally able to relax. She slumped down in her chair and twirled to face the paper she had been working on. Her eyes stared at the notebook for a moment then she rose from the chair.

Riley pushed her hands in to the air and stretched out the sore muscles in her back. After twisting a bit to loosen more of her body, she went over to her closet. It took her almost an hour to prepare for bed. She washed her face, changed in to pajamas, and set out a freshly pressed uniform for the next day. Riley let out a soft breath and sat down on her bed. For a moment, she was still. Thoughts ran through her head slowly, twisting around like vines in her consciousness. Her feet pushed under her blankets and she stared at the ceiling. She liked Draco? Was that even possible? The stuffed Tyrannosaurus Rex that Stephanie had exchanged with her for a Stegosaurus cuddled just right into Riley's arms. She squished it tight to her chest and flopped on to her side. The darkness in the room didn't feel oppressing but rather inviting her to sleep. Smoothing out the perturbed look from her face, she closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.

Riley locked her door and headed off to breakfast. She hadn't been able to sleep at all the previous night. The cold December air sent a shiver through Riley's body and she tightened the heavy wool cloak around her shoulders. It was just the beginning of December, but the winter had set in quickly towards the middle of November. She could see her breath as it exited her lips in short bursts. She clutched her books tight to her chest and quickened her pace towards the Main Hall.

The Hall was crowded for a winter morning. Usually a lot of people went home for the holidays, but it seemed like a lot were staying for the Yule Ball this year. The Yule Ball was held every year on Christmas Eve. It was the largest social event that Hogwarts had besides the annual Quidditch tournament. The Hall consisted four large tables. Even though it wasn't meant to happen, everyone just happened to sit with their same dormitories. The Slytherin kids sat with the Slytherin kids, Hufflepuff with Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw with Ravenclaws, and Griffindors with Griffindors. The tables were stacked with trays of meats, breads, and other pastries of assorted kinds. Riley took her usual spot between Stephanie and her other friend Justin Finch-Fletchley. Justin was in a heated argument with Hannah Abbott over who would win : a ninja or a pirate. They were always chattering over something or another every time. But them seemed to enjoy the conversations, so no one ever intervened. Riley smiled, turning her attention to Stephanie and her conversation. A few girls were giggling with her over the thin silver band that had appeared on her left hand this morning. Stephanie was absolutely glowing with happiness. Now they were all showing off their rings that they had. Some were on left hands, but most were right hand pairs of rings. After that, they then went over which of the left hand ringers had already received their invites from their boyfriends to the Yule Ball. They pulled out their rolled up yellowed parchment invitations. These were the optional invitations that the guys could give to the girls. Stephanie shrugged when she didn't pull hers out. But then she grinned evilly and pulled it out. This started a whole new explosion of giggles.

Breakfast was almost over and Riley stifled a yawn. She then shivered and felt like someone was watching her. Hannah stopped mid-sentence and stared over Justin, her mouth hanging open slightly. Justin, realizing that Hannah had stopped talking, followed her gaze over his shoulder and blinked. Very slowly, the entire Main Hall stopped buzzing with the normal chatter. There were a few clicks of shoes on the cobblestone floor and the girl across from Riley's eyes bugged out of her head. Riley blinked and slowly turned her head around. Standing behind her and glaring down at her, was Draco Malfoy. Now, usually people didn't wander to other tables. But it was even more of a big deal since this was Draco Malfoy, the notoriously nasty Slytherin Dorm Head.

"Draco, good mor-" Riley began but was cut off by Draco's hand raising.

"I'm not here for your pleasantries." He growled. The students around them were all straining to hear without being obvious, but that was hard to do when no one in the lunchroom was talking. Riley blinked, looking around. She bit her lip, her cheeks beginning to turn a soft pink.

"What are you-" He stopped her again by shoving a rolled piece of parchment in her face. There was a collective gasp from the girls and Justin sitting around Riley. Riley stared at it, then slowly looked back up at Draco. He made a face like he didn't like being in the situation any more than Riley did.

"My parents are forcing me to go to the stupid dance." He looked around and leaned down closer to Riley. "They'd also like to meet you, to thank you for what you've done." He said softly. Riley blinked, her mind still not quite wrapping around what was happening. She opened her mouth, but couldn't find anything to say.

"Take it!" Draco hissed, shoving the invitation towards Riley. She deftly wrapped her fingers around it and pulled it out of his grasp. He sneered at her and ran a hand through his hair.

"Directions to my house are inside. We'll be expecting you at five on the night of the ball." He explained. He looked down at Riley. She stared at the parchment, then looked back up at him again. It may have just been her imagination, but to Riley his face seemed soft. The moment she thought she saw it, he turned and strode out of the Main Hall. It was a minute or two after he exited that sound erupted in the Main Hall. Everyone suddenly had so many questions for Riley. But Riley felt numb and could only stare at the seemingly harmless piece of paper in her hand.


	11. Meeting the Family

A/N : I just wanted to thank everyone for sticking it out with me. I never even imagined that I would go this far with any of my stories, let alone this one. I'm very grateful for everyone that has read these and I hope you continue to encourage fellow authors. If you'd like to see the dress that Riley's wearing go to this link .com/shop/dresses/viewitem-PD584724 . If you'd like to see her updo, enter this link in to your browser .com/short-hair-updo-styles-formal-hairstyles/ . Again, I thank everyone and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Bitten:

Meeting the Family

Riley looked at herself once more in the mirror, turning her face this way and that. She pulled at the strands of hair that fell in front of her face, smoothing them a bit. She took a deep breath and barely kept herself from placing her hands on her face. Her body shook with small tremors and her stomach was queasy with butterflies. Why was she so nervous? It was just a perfunctory dinner. Her silvery eyes opened and were unable to look away from her image in the mirror.

"What's happening to me?" She asked her reflection softly. Her face was flawless—the wonders of make-up. Her skin was smooth and soft, with a touch of blush on her cheeks to give her face a bit of colour. She had on light, black eyeliner on her top lid that topped off with mascara that curled her eyelashes innocently. A gentle, white eyeshadow highlighted her eyes to create a natural look. Her eyes turned down and looked at the rolled parchment. That little piece of paper had caused Riley to be the talk of the campus for the last week. Many of her friends had even avoided her because they had no idea why she would have been associated with Malfoy. She sighed, shaking her head. Her fingers ghosted over a contact case. Stephanie had suggested them for Riley. She said that while Riley's silver eyes were beautiful in their own spooky way, tonight she needed to be elegantly beautiful. With deft fingers, Riley unscrewed the lens case. She looked down at the bright blue opaque contact lenses. She bit her lip and placed the lenses on her iris'. After blinking a few times, she looked back in the mirror. For a moment, she didn't even recognize herself. She turned her face sideways.

"Is this really me?" She breathed. Her clock struck a quarter till five and Riley stood. She grabbed the invitation off her vanity, placing it in her purse. The ring on her finger glinted in the white light and Riley stared at it for a second. A feeling began to bubble up inside of her. But she had no time to do a divination so she would just have to wing it. She'd already memorized the directions to Draco's so she wrapped her shrug around her shoulders and turned off the lights in her dorm.

Riley looked up at the large house. For some reason, it felt like it glared down disapprovingly at her. She swallowed hard and walked up the front steps. She looked for a door knocker and didn't see one. However she did see a golden rope. She looked for anything other than that rope, but there wasn't a knocker or a doorbell anywhere. She sighed and gingerly pulled on the rope. A clamorous amount of bells went off from a tower high above her. The air was filled with the bronze, steel, and golden bells as they serenaded the night. Her eyes widened and she glanced above her to see the sky filled with a horde of bats. She made a face totally unbecoming for her make-up.

"Seriously? Bats? How stereotypical can you get?" She hissed shakily. After her initial shock, she heard a rancorous sound from inside. There were rushing of little feet—house elves most likely—and the hushed whispers.

"She's here! Get out of sight, you grotesque creatures!" Hissed a female voice. Riley's stomach churned. She had a feeling this was going to be a long night.

The door opened and Riley shielded her eyes from the sudden onslaught of light from inside.

"Welcome! We're so glad you could make it! Please, come inside." Ushered a female. Riley opened her eyes, careful of her contacts, and looked up. The woman was beautiful, however she seemed prematurely aged. She had long, fine blonde hair and blue eyes that stood out from her pale skin. Her complexion was perfect, contrasting with the lines that had been sculpted in to her face from stress. She ushered Riley inside, taking her coat and throwing it at something in the corner. Riley's eyes glanced to the house elf who shuddered in fear and disappeared with the coat.

"Oh, how rude of me. Let me introduce myself. I'm Narcissa, but you can call me Cissy if you'd like." She gushed. Riley blinked.

"My name's Riley Sterling. It's very nice to meet you." She said softly, curtsying slightly. She glanced back up at Narcissa. "Are you Draco's sister?" Narcissa blinked then laughed gently.

"You're a sly one, Riley dear. I'm his mother." Riley was actually a bit stunned. For as aged as she looked, Narcissa had retained the youth in her face.

"Come come, let me introduce you to my husband and Draco's father." She said, guiding Riley in to what seemed to be a sitting room. The house—despite the bleary exterior—was painted with cremes and golds and had very Victorian era decorations. It was a very open kind of place. But what Riley couldn't get over was how large it seemed to be. Even though on the outside it had looked large, the inside just seemed to go on forever. A man was standing in front of the fireplace, poking at the inferno. He had long blonde hair with streaks of grey beginning to emerge. His back was to them. Riley studied his outline. He was slumped slightly with his shoulders drawn inwards, as if his shoulders were heavy with regrets. He had on dark beige slacks that were cinched at his waist with a brown belt. He had on a silk-like, button-up black shirt with long sleeves. His hands were placed slightly in to his pockets as he watched his newly added wood be devoured by the flames.

"Dear," Narcissa began gently, " Draco's date is here." The man straightened, turning to face the two women. Riley was struck by how alike Draco and his father were. The elder Malfoy regarded Riley with his cold grey eyes, neither approving or disapproving. She felt insignificant under his gaze, but refused to let herself fret. She curtsied to him, lowering her head and closing her eyes.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, sir." She said with a steady voice that rang clear in the high-ceiling-ed room. Everything was still for a moment, but he chuckled.

"I see. So this is the girl." He said, his voice deep and chilling. "I am Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father." Riley opened her eyes and straightened. A soft smile curled on to her lips. Lucius blinked, seeming to be taken aback by her sudden warmth.

"Pardon me if this is strange," Riley said, looking down," But you and your son are very alike in your regality." Her smile broadened and her eyes softened. Both Lucius and Narcissa were stunned by this girl's softness. Narcissa looked up at her husband who returned her gaze. Could such a fragile looking creature have freed their son from bonds such as he was bound?

"Oh, Draco should be down any moment." Narcissa said. Riley nodded, looking back at them. She felt her hair shifting and quickly placed her hand on it. Her eyes bulged slightly.

"Uhm," she squeaked. Narcissa hurried Riley to a powder room where they took care of her hair. Lucius shook his head and strolled in to the dining area. It was almost six. The ball would be beginning in two hours.

"Draco!" Lucius boomed, "What is taking you so long? Surely you aren't primping like a schoolgirl?"

"Father!" Draco shouted from somewhere in the house. It was followed by loud grumbles and complaints. "It's these dumb clothes!" Lucius sighed, rising from his place at the head of the table.

"Honestly son, you're hopeless." He said, walking to where the mutterings of his son were coming from.

Lucius and Draco had decided to wait to put on the robes till just before they were to leave for the ball. Draco sat at his spot next to his father at the table with his arms crossed.

"What taking them so long?" He hissed. Lucius looked at Draco and regarded him calmly.

"What's the rush? Are you anxious to see your blushing bride?" He asked. Draco blinked and looked at his father with an unguarded look.

"What are nonsense are you spouting, old man?" Draco said evenly. Lucius was quiet a moment, but then chuckled slightly. He turned his attention elsewhere.

"Oh, nothing." A silence hung in the air for a moment, "She's cute. If she's pure-blood she'd be perfect to bring in to the family." Draco shot his father a look.

"What?" He whispered sharply. A nonchalant look crossed the elder Malfoy's face as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I didn't say anything." Draco let out a frustrated breath and let his head fall against the back of his chair. A few minutes later there was the pattering of feet down the stairs. Draco sat up in his chair, turning his head to the opening in the dining room. His mother appeared through the arched walkway and he seemed almost disappointed. Lucius saw this and laughed to himself. Draco shot him another glare and huffed as he settled back in to his chair again. Narcissa sat down in her chair to the other side of her husband, setting her napkin on her lap. Her face was aglow with a youthful cheeriness that no one had seen in years.

"Riley should be down in a moment." She said with her lips stretched in a wide smile. There were a few clicks on the stairwell as another descended the stairs. They all turned their heads to look. The sound of a chair scraping against the floor filled the silence. Draco had risen slightly, his body turned towards the grand staircase.

The decorative comb that helped pull Riley's hair back in to a swirl glinted in the white light of the home. Her embellished, silver strappy heels peeked out from under the black edge of her floor length dress. The white chiffon dress that darkened to black at the edges swished about daintily around her legs. The empire waist, accentuated with a black waistband that had a black and white jewel piece gave way to embellished sides of white, grey, and black gems. The strapless, sweetheart dress showed Riley's curves perfectly and modestly. She stopped at the bottom of the staircase where Draco's feet had taken him.

"Riley," He whispered. He couldn't stop looking. She looked so different. She looked down, her face turning a gentle pink. She touched the straight strands of hair that framed her face nervously.

"Does it look weird?" She asked, her voice shaking. Draco was speechless. He opened his mouth, but then closed it. He turned his body slightly away from her.

"Who told you to dress to draw so much attention?" He grumbled. Riley's lips turned up in a soft smile. But then she was surprised when she realized he was offering his arm to her. Draco flinched a bit when he felt Riley's hand slip around his bicep. He blinked, feeling something inside of him twist. However, it wasn't all too unpleasant. Mentally shaking it off, he lead Riley in to the dining area for dinner. For some reason, he hoped that his parents wouldn't embarrass him too much. This idea struck him odd as he pulled Riley's chair out for her. Why would he care if his parents embarrassed him or not?


	12. Yule Ball

Bitten

Yule Ball

Riley fidgeted at the door. She was waiting for Draco to get the rest of his clothes on before they left. She was pleasantly stuffed from dinner. They'd had a six course meal that was totally out of Riley's normal dinner. However, everything was properly portioned and mixed well. She let out a breath to make a bit more room in her stomach. Narcissa came out of the dining room. She smiled at Riley.

"Draco should be done any minute now." She said. Riley nodded, a gentle grin spreading her lips.

"I'm not in any hurry." Riley replied. Narcissa looked at Riley as her smile widened.

"We're really thankful for what you've done for Draco, Riley." She whispered softly. Riley blinked, looking at Narcissa.

"I don't," she paused and looked down. "I really can't take your praise ma'am. I had no idea what I was doing and it was reckless of me. I could have ended up hurting Draco even more." Narcissa shook her head.

"Nonsense. I have a feeling, Riley, that you would have surpassed all expectations no matter the circumstances." She said gently. Riley was stunned, staring at Narcissa. The young girl felt her face heating up a bit. She'd never really been praised before. It was a nice feeling that she wished she could have more often. They stood there for another moment before Narcissa exclaimed and excused herself for a moment.

Riley sighed. Everything was so surreal. Was this really happening? Narcissa returned with her fingers curled around a little black velvet box. Riley looked at the box and then back at Narcissa.

"I have something for you," The elder woman said. Riley shook her head.

"I can't possibly accept any more gifts. You've already done so much for m—"

"Riley." The woman said firmly. Although her voice was strict, her eyes were warm. "Please, just take this." Narcissa opened the box and Riley looked at it's contents. Inside there was a spherical gold charm on an equally gold chain. There were delicate etchings in the material that showed two people dancing with each other.

"What is it?" Riley asked, picking it up from the box. Narcissa smiled. She reached over and pushed a button on the bottom of the charm. It opened and an image of Riley and Narcissa was projected.

"It's a locket. It will record the events tonight and keep them there for however long you wish." The woman said gently. Riley's eyes widened. She'd never been given a gift before, not one with a weight such as this. The girl bit her lip as she felt hot tears welling up.

"Thank you," she whispered, "Thank you so much, Narcissa." Narcissa smiled and held her arms out. She hugged the girl tightly to her chest.

"Maybe it's because I see so much of myself in you, Riley. But I don't want to see you lose that fiery spirit of yours." The parlor doors opened and Draco and Lucius emerged. Draco was now draped with the outer robes. He grabbed his cloak, pulling it around his shoulders. He also grabbed Riley's coat.

"Shall we get this over with?" He asked coldly. Riley nodded. She said her final goodbyes to Lucius and Narcissa. The parents watched as their son helped Riley up into the horse-drawn carriage that was uniform to the Yule Ball. He draped her jacket around her shoulders to keep the chill out. Riley said something and Draco scowled. Narcissa gasped as she saw Draco drape his arm around Riley's shoulders as well as her jacket. Lucius chuckled, noticing the pink on both Draco's and Riley's faces as they looked down and opposite directions from each other. Then the carriage drove off with the whinny of a horse. Narcissa and Lucius stood in the doorway for a moment and Narcissa giggled.

"Does this remind you of the first time we went to the Yule Ball together?" She asked, snuggling into her husband's side. He laughed a bit.

"You absolutely hated me then."

"Well, it was a date arranged by our parents. I couldn't enjoy myself and give them the satisfaction." She said as she shrugged slightly and looked up at him. He smirked gently down at her.

"Of course not." Then he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Come inside before you catch a cold, Narcissa." He said. He led her inside, the door closing softly behind them.

The ball was already in full swing by the time that Draco and Riley arrived. Lanterns floated near the ceiling which bathed the room in a gentle, silver glow. The walls had been covered with pale blues and greys and snow fell from the ceiling.

The band was playing a song that the students were all dancing to. Riley glanced around as Draco took her coat. Her eyes drifted lazily over a couple dancing near to each other. She smiled as she recognized her friend. Stephanie had her hair pulled back and clipped with a large diamond-crusted clip. It fell in gentle curls around her neck and onto her shoulders. Her dress was a deep blue, strapless sweetheart neckline that draped down to her ankles. Her black, strappy heels glittered with silver from the small rhinestones on the straps. She was simply glowing with happiness. Harry was awkward and handsome in his robes. They really were perfect for each other. Stephanie's gentle and caring nature balanced out Harry's daring and quick-witted personality.

The song ended and everyone clapped. Draco was back at Riley's side. She glanced sideways at him. Grey eyes blinked at blue and then looked quickly away. Stephanie bounded up, her curls bouncing.

"Riley!" She exclaimed, "That's an absolutely gorgeous dress!" She reached forward and took Riley's hands in hers. The elder Hufflepuff kept gushing over how amazing and beautiful Riley looked. The younger girl blushed, looking down.

Draco sneered, glancing at the two girls. He noticed tghat Harry was walking Boy Who Lived slipped his arm around Stephanie's waist. He shot a glare at Draco.

"It's too bad her beauty is wasted on Malfoy." He spat.

"Watch it, Potter." Draco warned, scowling. Stephanie sighed and shook her head. Draco looked around. People were staring and whispering and pointing at the foursome.

"Look Riley! Everyone's talking about you!" Stephanie giggled, poking her friend in the side. Riley's blush deepened and she shook her head.

"It's because Draco and Harry aren't tearing each other apart." She muttered. Stephanie shook her head again. Just then, a slow song began to float over the air.

Stephanie and Riley looked at each other. Then Stephanie giggled and led Harry away by the hand. Couples were beginning to appear on the dance floor to dance to the song. Riley and Draco stood there. Riley felt her heart beginning to pound in her chest. What was going to happen? The only reason that they were there was because Draco's parents had wanted to meet the girl who'd saved their son from Voldemort. There was no reason for Draco to actually want to dance with her.

Riley's heart jumped in to her chest when she saw a pale hand outstretched towards her. Her eyes trailed up the arm and were captured by the grey orbs staring back at her.

"Well? Are you going to dance with me or not?" He hissed. She saw the soft pink in his cheeks, knowing it wasn't from being warm because the Hall was kept cool for the snow. She blinked a few times just the make sure he wasn't kidding. He cleared his throat, pushing his hand closer towards her. After gulping hard, she slipped her hand in to his. With a gentleness she never expected, Draco led her onto the dance floor. He brought her right hand up with his left hand. As she placed her hand on his shoulder, he put his on her waist. They were both flustered for a moment, Riley biting the inside of her bottom lip. Then they were dancing and Riley glanced up at him.

"You can dance?" Draco scoffed and looked down at Riley.

"My father forced me to take lessons." He made a face that was an imitation of his father's, "'No proper man doesn't know how to sweep a woman off her feet.' He would tell me." The voice was almost an exact replica of his father's. Riley couldn't help but to giggle. Draco felt a small smirk tugging at his lips.

Stephanie glanced over at where Riley and Draco were dancing. The long-haired blonde smiled.

"They're really cute together, aren't they?" She said to Harry. He looked over at the couple as well and rolled his eyes.

"I just can't trust him. It's hard to suddenly become friendly with someone who's teased you for six years." He muttered. Stephanie sighed and put her head on his shoulder, pulling herself closer to her boyfriend.

"Can't you at least be happy for Riley? She's been there for both of us through some really hard times. Who stayed with you all night when Sirius died?" Her blue eyes looked up in to Harry's as he looked away, caught in the truth.

"I know I should support Riley, and not just because she's your best friend. But," he paused, "Why couldn't she have fallen for someone in Griffindor or Hufflepuff? I'd even take a Ravenclaw boy! Why Draco Malfoy?" She shook her head.

"Love works in mysterious ways, love." He smirked and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"You've got that right."

The night continued on. Students danced and laughed and chatted as the band played. Teachers were even dancing a little, just for fun. Draco, Riley, Stephanie, and Harry hung out a little. But Harry was always glaring at Draco. He never said anything nasty, but he didn't offer up any pleasantries either. Sooner than everyone would have liked, the ball was drawing to a close. The second to last slow dance came on and Draco and Riley were instantly in each other's arms.

Riley no longer felt awkward and strange dancing with Draco. She was calm in his presence. A small smile had made itself a home on Riley's lips. Her temporarily bright blue eyes looked up at Draco. He blinked at her.

"I meant to ask earlier," he whispered, "But why are you wearing contacts?" Riley blushed slightly.

"Stephanie said that my eyes needed to be a different type of beautiful tonight." She murmured.

"They're beautiful when they're pale blue." The girl blinked and looked up at Draco. He realized what he'd just said and looked anywhere but in to Riley's eyes. His mind also finally took in the fact that he and Riley were now dancing much closer than they had at the beginning of the night. He suddenly felt like he'd swallowed a group of butterflies. He looked over at his left hand, his palm surrounding Riley's. The black ring with a red gem glinted at him, as if winking. He took a deep breath. With a smooth motion, he tilted his hand and slid his fingers in the spaces between Riley's. Somehow, they fit perfectly. Riley was startled a bit and looked up in to Draco's eyes. His own grey eyes stared down into the dark blue of Riley's.

"Draco?" She asked gently.

"Riley," he began, "I-"

"Excuse me," said a voice behind them. Draco felt a light tap on his shoulder, "May I cut in?" Riley looked behind Draco as his hands fell from her and he turned away. Her eyes widened and her chest tightened.

"Alva," She breathed. A tanned boy with short, straight chestnut hair stood behind Draco. He obviously wasn't a student. He wore a tuxedo rather than robes. His white undershirt's collar was over his jacket and the top two buttons were unbuttoned to expose more of his light brown skin. His eyes were a sparkling, mischievous green.

Riley felt her hands begin to shake as she took a step back from the boy. She wanted nothing but to run as fast as she could away from this place. Draco looked at Riley and saw the terror in her eyes. He frowned, his brow furrowing. The band switched to another slow song. The boy, Alva, stepped up to Riley and put his hand on her hip. He pulled her away, leaving Draco stunned and alone in the middle of all the dancing couples.

Alva pushed his hand into Riley's and lifted it into the air so they were dancing. No one seemed to notice the boy of Egyptian decent among them. Riley refused to look at his glinting green eyes.

"You've grown up quite beautifully, Riley dear." He said, his voice a deep, vibrating sound. She shivered at the sound. He smirked.

"What's wrong? Have you missed me?" He asked, dipping his head down so she was forced to look at him. She smelled a strong scent coming from him. What was it?

"Why are you here, Alva?" She hissed lowly. He pouted and straightened his back, but then grinned darkly.

"Can I not just come to see my Riley-pet?"

"Don't call me that!" She growled.

"Come now," he said, moving his lips to Riley's ear, "You've been a bad girl. I haven't been able to find you for some time now." More tremors traveled down her spine.

"I had to run away," She whispered. He raised an eyebrow, but continued to grin.

"Why is that?" Behind her contacts, her eyes dulled a bit.

"You broke me; drove me insane. I had no choice. I had to lock my powers away and leave." He frowned, a dark look coming in to his green eyes.

"Locked your powers away?" She nodded mechanically. He scowled. He removed his hand from hers, her hand falling limply to her side. He put his fingers under her chin and forced her head up to look at him.

"Unlock them," he commanded. She shook her head slightly. His lip twitched in to a sneer.

Stephanie looked around. She saw Draco standing by himself near a wall. She frowned and broke away from Harry who made a noise of protest. She ignored him and walked over to Draco.

"Draco? Where's Riley?" She asked. He shrugged angrily, his arms over his chest.

"What should I care? She's over dancing with some Egyptian." He grumbled.

"Egyptian?" He nodded and jerked his head to the left. Stephanie turned her head and saw Riley standing by a boy she'd never seen before. He lowered his hand from under her chin and grabbed her left hand. He was looking at something on her fingers. Then he slid his fingers over her hand, saying something. Riley's eyes widened and she seemed to snap out of a sort of trance. She tried to pull her hand away from him, but he held her wrist tightly in his grip.

"Something's wrong," Stephanie said quickly. Draco blinked and looked up. Riley had her other hand on Alva's chest and was trying to push away from him. Draco pushed off the wall and forced his way through the crowd.

"Let go! Don't touch that!" She said desperately, trying to pull her hand away. Alva touched the ring on her finger.

"What's this? A link? Surely you didn't lose control of the Dream Realm? After all I taught you?" He shook his head and clicked his tongue in a disappointed manner. He felt a spark come from the gem. Riley winced as the ring burned on her finger.

"Oh? It's also keeping your powers in check, now that I look at it properly." He said, his face close to the blue gem. Riley felt her knees going weak as he tampered with the seals.

"Stop," she said softly. Her legs gave out under her and she was forced on to her knees on the floor. Alva smiled evilly.

"No can do, Riley-pet. I need you back to your powerful, unthinking self. And for that," He smirked and placed his index finger on the blue gem, "This can't exist."

Riley started to scream. A pressure came from Alva's finger and a crack appeared in the gem. At that moment, a burst of energy pulsed out from Riley's body. It pushed over everything in the room, all the students screaming with terror. Draco brought his arms up to shield his face from the shock wave. More came from Riley's body as Alva continued to try and break the seal on her powers. Draco felt pain shoot up his arm and he cried out. He looked down and saw the carnelian in his ring glowing a burning, angry red.

The room was bathed with a eerie, blue light. Everything was slowly stopping it's movement. People were halted in their fleeing, snow stopped midair, and all sound melted away. Draco looked up and saw Riley almost crumpled on the floor. Her eyes sliced sideways at him. Her contacts had disappeared and she looked at him with pupil-less eyes. She lifted her hand that wasn't in Alva's grasp. A blue glow began in her palm. She stretched her arm out straight towards Draco, her fingers apart. His eyes widened as he realized what she was doing.

"No! Riley!" He yelled. "Don't send me away!" Stephanie ran over to Draco and crouched down next to him.

"What's going on?" She asked, her voice panicked. Harry was right behind her, shielding her from Riley and Alva. Draco ignored her.

"Riley!" He yelled again. The glow in her hand continued to grow. Draco saw her pale lips move.

"Run," she mouthed. Then she shot the blue orb at them. Draco jumped up and wrapped his arms around Stephanie and Harry. The orb hit him in the back and they were swallowed by it.

The trio was spat out in a forest, skidding across the damp floor. Harry got up and hurried over to Stephanie to check if she was all right. Draco sat up on his knees. He stared at the forest floor, his palms on the cool surface. Harry snarled and whipped his head towards Draco.

"What the hell was that Malfoy?" The blonde didn't respond. Harry sneered. Stephanie sat up, grabbing on to Harry's arm.

"Harry, stop," she whispered. He shook his head.

"No! This is all screwed up! I bet it has something to do with Ma—"

"I couldn't do anything," Draco said softly. Harry and Stephanie both looked at Draco's hunched over back. His hand came up, curled into a fist and then he slammed it in to the ground.

"I couldn't do a damn thing! Again!" He yelled, scaring a flock of birds from a nearby tree. There was silence for a second, then Stephanie stood up. She walked over to Draco and knelt down by him. She put her hand on his back.

"Why am I so useless?" He whispered, his body shaking.


	13. Alva

Bitten

Alva

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and commented on the last chapter. That's really all that an author needs to keep going. I was starting to lose faith in this one. But now I have a renewed flame to write it. Thanks again and please keep reading and supporting those authors who are putting all they have on the table.

Riley forced her eyes open. Everything was dark. She reached up with her hand and felt her face. She had no blindfold on. Had she lost her vision?

"You've finally awoken?" Came an airy voice. Riley didn't stir. A chuckle followed the question.

"Come now, Riley-pet, it's not nice to be so cold to our guest."

"Guest?" Riley asked. She felt a small breeze over her face. The air carried Alva's scent.

"Oh dear, you can't see, can you?" Alva mused. Riley felt her face contort into a sneer and Alva laughed.

"What's wrong with her? The Dark Lord won't want damaged goods." The voice from earlier snarled. Riley now realized the voice was female.

"Worry not, Bella," Alva chuckled,"She'll have her sight back as soon as I'm finished tearing down her final defenses." A chill spread through Riley's body. She tried to get up but found that her ankles had been shackled to the surface she was laying on. Alva's cold hand grabbed her free wrist and forced it to the table and shackled it as well. Riley struggled against her restraints, the rattling of chains filling the room.

"_Desi—_" A gag was shoved in to Riley's mouth.

"We can't be having that, Riley-pet. No wand-less magic from you, little lady." Alva whispered, his breath on Riley's ear. She screamed into the cloth pulling against the chains, but to no avail. Alva stood back, admiring his handy work.

"What are you waiting for? I don't like to keep the Dark Lord waiting!" Hissed the woman again. Alva turned and looked at her.

"Well, He's going to have to wait. She's become independent from me. However," He grinned, his eyes sparkling with a certain maleficence, "I'll just destroy her mind again."

Alva turned away from the curly-haired woman and looked to the fighting Riley. The corners of his lips raised up into a wicked smile. He reached forward, placing his fingers on her temples. Riley's eyes widened and she fought even harder, the cuffs biting into her skin and drawing blood.

"That's it," Alva breathed, "Fight it. That will only make it so much more painful." He closed his eyes for a second. He snapped his eyes open and pressed his fingers against her skin.

"_Vesania__!"_ He hissed. Riley's back arched off the table and her scream pierced the air and chilled the blood of the woman in the room. The woman laughed as Riley screamed out.

~X~

Stephanie pulled her wand out from her purse. She created a tent and went inside. She came out a few minutes later in a coat, long-sleeved shirt and skinny jeans. Her boots were fuzzy and were sure to keep her warm. She had a tray with three steaming mugs.

"It's freezing out here," She said as she handed one of the mugs to Harry, "Why don't you guys go inside and get changed?" There was no response from either of them as she placed the other mug next to where Draco was sitting. She sighed.

"Sitting out here and feeling sorry for ourselves isn't going to get us any closer to helping Riley." She mumbled. Harry looked up at Stephanie.

"But what are we supposed to do? We don't know what or who we're up against. We don't even know his name!"

"Alva," Draco growled. Harry and Stephanie looked at him. He glanced up at them then back down as he picked up the mug, "His name is Alva. Riley said it before they started to dance."

"Well, there's a start, I suppose." Harry grumbled, bringing the mug up to his face. Stephanie frowned.

"Alva?" She repeated. Draco nodded.

"Does that mean anything to you, Stephanie?" Harry said gently. She made a face and looked at Harry.

"Riley first came to Hogwarts in her second year. She used to have chronic nightmares that she refused to tell anyone about. But," she paused and thought for a second, "I remember when I stayed the night one time that she was talking in her sleep. She kept calling out the name "Alva"."

"Maybe she was homesick and he's her brother?" Harry offered.

Draco scoffed, making a face, "Have you seen Riley? She's as pale as pale gets. This Alva character had naturally darker skin. There's no way they're related by blood."

"Look," Harry said with his voice rising, "It was just an idea. You don't need to be so snippy at me."

"Well, maybe if it wasn't such a ridiculous idea—"

"Well maybe if you could protect your girlfriend better—"

"I can protect Riley just fine!" Draco yelled, his voice shaking the forest again. Both boys were panting slightly from their argument.

"Besides," Draco muttered as he unclenched his fists, "She's not my girlfriend."

A silence fell over the group as Draco took a drink from his mug. His grey eyes looked at his hands wrapped around the beverage. His left hand had a strange burn-like mark on the back. It looked like a small bird trying to fly away. But that was if you squinted and tilted your head. The only place that he could think of getting it was when Riley hit them with her magic. But that had hit him in the back so it didn't make much sense to think that was the cause for the mark. Draco flickered his eyes to stare at the ring on his finger. The gem had a crack halfway down the middle. It was faintly pulsing with light. Stephanie looked over at Draco.

"We'll get her back," she whispered. Draco's head snapped up and he looked at Stephanie. She offered him a small smile. For some reason, it made Draco's body feel a little lighter. He let out a breath and pushed his hand up through his hair.

"Of course we will. You don't actually believe that I'm the kind of guy to allow his date to be stolen away on the last dance, do you?" He asked. Stephanie couldn't help but grin and Harry just shook his head. Draco stood and walked in to the tent. The first thing he had to do before he could even begin to think about helping Riley was to get out of his ridiculous robes for the ball.

~X~

Riley could barely feel her body trembling. She only knew she was shaking because her teeth kept chattering against each other. Her skin had become completely numb and her head felt like it was going to split in two. She heard someone's tongue clicking on the roof of their mouth.

"Tsk, tsk, Riley-pet," murmured Alva, "This is only going to get worse if you keep fighting it." A chuckle accompanied it. Riley ground her teeth together and slowly clenched her hands in to fists.

"What's taking so long Alva?" Hissed the female voice. What had Alva called her? Bella?

"Patience is a virtue." He said. Slowly, Riley felt her senses returning to her.

"Alva," she whispered. The boy blinked and turned back to look at Riley. She took a deep breath, each word a tremendous effort to get out.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked. Alva was silent for a moment, then he laughed softly. Riley heard the faint clicking of a charm on a chain, something like a necklace or locket perhaps.

"Let's just say there are certain benefits to me handing over my most precious pupil to a certain someone. Now, enough talk, Riley-pet," he breathed. She felt the tip of his finger on her forehead and her body flinched away. A devious gleam passed over the green iris' as his lips moved.

"_Animum__frangere._" He hissed. Riley's eyes rolled back in her head. Alva heard a small crackle and looked down. The ring on her finger was starting to break. His lips twitched up into a cruel smile. Riley's body convulsed uncontrollably.

"Stop," she gasped, "Stop!" Her scream pierced the air like a knife piercing flesh.

~X~

Draco jumped, startled. He looked around, whipping his head this way and that. Stephanie looked up at him.

"Draco? What's wrong?" She asked, standing up slightly. He glanced over at her, his face a mixture of desperation and hope.

"Did you hear that? I could have sworn I heard Riley's voice." He said. Harry and Stephanie looked at each other.

"Draco, maybe you should rest a little bit." Stephanie said gently. Draco frowned, his brow furrowing.

"I know I heard her!" He hissed. Harry sighed and shook his head.

"Look Draco, we're all stressed out but—"

"I'm not going crazy!" Draco yelled. He let out a frustrated breath and pushed his hand through his hair again. He realized just how insane he sounded. But he had heard Riley calling out for someone to stop. The blonde-haired boy stood up.

"I think I might rest a little." He murmured, Stephanie nodded.

"Take all the time you need." She whispered.

Draco disappeared inside the tent. He was grateful it wasn't set up like a Muggle tent. There were three beds and screens that gave each of them privacy. He went over to the bed that he had claimed as his own. He sat down on the edge, the springs groaning from the added weight. Shaking his head, he pressed his hands to his eyes.

"What am I doing here?" He asked himself. He let out another breath and laid back on the bed. His grey orbs stared up at the ceiling. If only he knew what he was up against, then maybe they might have a chance. He shook his head once more and flopped over on his side. He closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep.

_ Riley rubbed her eyes. The steel blue orbs were tired from reading so many of her master's ancient texts._

_ "Master Alva," she whined, "Can't we do something else?" Her head swiveled around to look at a boy who seemed to be no more than a few years older than her. He pulled his own nose from a book to glance at her._

_ "What's wrong, Riley-pet? Don't tell me you're bored?" He said with a small pout on his lips. The young girl sighed and shook her head._

_ "It's not that, Master. I'm just," her voice drifted off as her mouth opened in a wide yawn. Alva smiled gently. He closed his book and slid it in to an empty space between two other books on a shelf. _

_ "I suppose we could end early. Since tomorrow is your birthday after all." He mumbled. Even though he was acting like he couldn't see her, he saw the girl's face light up with the mention of the celebration. He chuckled softly to himself and turned to face the girl._

_ "You'll have been with me for how many years?" He asked._

_ "Seven." She answered eagerly. "I'll be twelve by this time tomorrow." She giggled. Alva's eyes softened as he leaned back on his desk._

_ "It's hard to believe that you're already at that point," he murmured to himself._

_ "What was that Alva?" Riley glanced up at him from where she was putting her books away. He shook his head._

_ "Nothing Riley-pet. Get some sleep. Tomorrow's a big day for you." He mused before leaving the room. Riley blinked and finished cleaning up. She was so giddy at finally being able to learn more things from Alva._

_ Alva had taken her on as an apprentice when she was six years-old. Her parents weren't able to feed the entire family so they were forced to sell their own daughter. Not very many wizards were taking on apprentices at the time, so it was a miracle that Alva even thought about accepting Riley. But he had and ever since then he'd taught Riley everything there was to know about Oneiromancy,_ _Occlumency,_ _Legilimency, astrology, and magic. _

_ Riley quickly changed into her pajamas and clambered into her bed. She snuggled under the covers, trying to go to sleep as fast as she could. The next time she would open her eyes, she'd be twelve years-old. Alva had told her when she was twelve he would show her an even more powerful side to everything he had taught her. She just couldn't wait! She wanted to impress Alva so she was always listening and completed every task she was given. Another yawn broke through the defenses of her lips and she slowly drifted off to the Dream Realm. _

~X~

"Harry! Something's wrong with Draco!" Stephanie shouted from inside the tent.

Harry sighed and put his mug down as he stood, "You're just now noticing?"

"No, I mean something's seriously wrong!" Her voice wavered with worry. Harry frowned and hurried into the tent. He walked over to where Stephanie was.

"What's wrong?" He asked, placing his hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

"I can't get inside. The screen won't open and he won't wake up no matter what I do." She said quickly. Harry's frown just deepened.

"That's ridiculous. It's not as if he's created a force-field around himself." He grumbled. He reached forward to part the screen and felt a shock travel up his arm. He yelped and pulled his arm back quickly.

Stephanie put her hands on her hips, "See? I wasn't kidding!" Harry shot a glare at Stephanie and the girl held her hands up in mock surrender. He shook his head and turned his gaze back to the sleeping blonde. Draco seemed to be sleeping peacefully enough. But a sheen layer of sweat had broken over his visible skin. Harry squinted his eyes, looking closely.

"Does the air look," he paused to find the right word, "Red?" He glanced at Stephanie who blinked. She leaned forward to look inside the screen. She gasped.

"You're right. But why is that happening? I've never—It looks like the miasma that came from Riley at the dance earlier. But, you know, red." She whispered, "Where is it coming from?"

Harry shook his head, "It's hard to tell," he muttered," But it looks like it might be coming from his left side." They both leaned forward as close to the net as they could.

"Is he wearing a ring?" Harry inquired. Stephanie blinked and craned her neck to see over Draco's rising and falling chest. She nodded.

"It looks a lot like the one Riley wears, but his gem looks like a carnelian while Riley's is a blue zircon." Her words slowed as she came to a realization. Her head snapped up and she looked at Harry, "They're wearing the same rings with different stones! Could that mean anything?"

Harry rolled back on his heels, rubbing his chin with his hand, "I'm not sure. It could be a link of some form—"

"Do you think he's communicating with Riley right now?" She asked hurriedly. The brown-haired boy looked down at the girl. Stephanie was biting her lip, hope apparent in her eyes. He shook his head again.

"I can't be sure. This isn't my area of expertise." He said gently. The glimmer in Stephanie's eyes died a little and she looked down. He let out a breath and put his arms out. He wrapped his arms around Stephanie's shoulders and let her rest her head on his chest.

"Don't worry, Stephy. Something good is bound to happen. Besides," he mused, "It's Riley. When has she ever not been able to get out of trouble?"

~X~

_A fierce pounding began in Riley's head. Why was this happening? She was asleep wasn't she? Alva had always told her that she would feel no pain in the Dream Realm. So what was happening? A small whimper escaped her lips. There was nothing around her. She was in complete darkness. She tried to bend her surroundings, but that just resulted in more pain. She felt like someone was stabbing very small, electrified needles in to every inch of her body. She felt hot tears welling up in her eyes as the pain intensified. _

_ The torture was mainly focused on her brain. Trying to block it all out, Riley pressed her hands to her head. But this just made it feel like hot nails were being hammered in to her temples. More mewls of discomfort continued to fill the air around her. Now she had an added sensation of someone beginning to slowly release spiked snakes to roam freely in her brain's cracks and crevices. _

_ "It hurts," she sobbed. Her body stiffened, trying to fight the torment. She rolled her head around on her neck, feeling like hot wax was eating away at her skin._

_ "Relax Riley-pet," came a voice so familiar to Riley. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once. She couldn't concentrate on the sound. _

_ "Master Alva?" She called. A chuckle floated through the air._

_ "This is what I was going to show you, Riley." He breathed. A new wave of pain crashed over Riley's small body and she gasped as her frame shook with tremors. She looked up as she felt a presence enter the Realm. Her eyes were blurry and had a hard time focusing on Alva's figure standing in front of her._

_ "Why Alva? What is this?" She whispered. He crouched down in front of her._

_ His smile seemed cold to her as he explained, "You're very powerful, my dear Riley. With your powers under my command, do you know what kind of things I can accomplish?" Riley shook her head._

_ "I don't understand. Please stop this. It hurts, Master Alva!" She pleaded, tears streaming onto her face. The coolness from the salty water intensified the pain on her skin and she cried out as her body double over. Alva's eyes twinkled a malicious, sickening green._

_ "Happy birthday, dear Riley." He said softly in a sing-song voice._

~X~

Draco's eyes snapped open and he gasped as he sat up. He panted for a moment, trying to regain his breath. Stephanie and Harry were startled and looked up from where they were sitting on Harry's bed.

"Draco? Are you all right?" Stephanie asked, standing quickly and coming over to his bedside. He waved her off as his voice came back to him.

"Dream," he gaped, "I had a dream. I think it was one of Riley's memories." Harry and Stephanie looked at each other. Harry turned his attention back to Draco.

"What did you see?" The brunette's voice was soft and gentle. Draco looked at Harry for a moment, to see if he was making fun of him. But when he found no ill-will in the boy's eyes, the blonde nodded. Not leaving out a detail, he recounted to them his dream.

When Draco had finished, Stephanie shivered.

"A monster. We're dealing with a monster." She breathed. Harry brought her in a firm embrace, rubbing her arms comfortingly.

"That is just," he searched for the right word, "Ghastly. It sounds like something straight out of a horror novel. Or from Voldemort's playbook. Either works." He said.

Stephanie gave him a harsh look, "Not helping." She muttered under her breath. Draco shook his head, resting his face in his palms.

"I can't even imagine what that Alva creep is doing to her now. More than likely the same thing as four years ago." His grey eyes looked up at the couple. "We have to do something fast before she becomes what she was." Stephanie looked wide-eyed at Draco.

"What was she?" She whispered, her voice trembling. Draco met Stephanie's gaze for a moment but then he looked away.

His voice was soft when he answered, "Even more of a monster. He made her torture people, steal things, tear apart families, and—" His face turned green as if he was going to be sick. Harry blinked.

"And what?" He asked. Draco shook his head.

"He made her kill people." He said. Stephanie inhaled sharply.

"No. Not Riley," she whimpered," Riley wouldn't hurt a fly. She apologizes to the grass when she walks on the school's lawns!" Stephanie protested. The blonde-haired boy closed his eyes and pressed his palms to the grey orbs.

"Stephanie," he began, "You have to remember that at the time Riley did those things she wasn't herself." He said gently. His eyes sliced up to look at her. She stared at him a moment before burying her face in to Harry's chest. She shook her head.

"That's awful," she sobbed. Draco tore his eyes away from the grief-stricken girl and found himself looking at the ring again. He raised his hand up to his face and pressed his lips gently to the cracked gem. He wouldn't allow Riley to go through all that pain again. Not if he could do something about it.

It was a minute or two before Stephanie had composed herself again. She looked at both Draco and Harry.

"What's our plan? Because I am not going to allow that green-eyed snake to get his fangs in to Riley ever again." She hissed, her eyes full of a crystalline fire. Harry smirked, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"That's my girl," he murmured. Stephanie offered Harry a small smile before turning back to Draco.

"Any ideas?" She asked. Draco took a deep breath and nodded.

"I have one." He lifted his left hand up. Stephanie and Harry inspected the breaking ring on his finger and also noticed the scar on the back of his palm.

Harry's brow furrowed, "What's this cracking ring supposed to do?" Draco pulled his hand back, cradling it gently against his chest.

"It works a lot like your scar, Potter. When I was dreaming, I remember an intense pain from my hand. Even now I can still feel a bit of unpleasantness remaining. I think that this can lead us to Riley." The blonde explained. Harry blinked.

"Well, I suppose that works. But what if she isn't even in this country?" He asked. Draco made a face, unable to answer. He hadn't thought of that. Stephanie shook her head.

"No. If he was coming to get Riley he would know that she was being protected somehow. So he wouldn't be able to travel very far with her." She said. Harry and Draco looked at her quizzically. She blinked at them and shrugged her shoulders. "I watch television instead of studying, go figure." She explained. Harry snorted through his nose, trying to not laugh.

"I guess that's a start." He held his hand out to Draco. Draco stared at the hand and then looked up at Harry. The Boy Who Lived smirked.

"C'mon, we've got us a dragon's lair to sniff out." He joked. Draco returned the smirk and grabbed on to Harry's wrist firmly as the boy pulled him up. They quickly packed the tent away and were ready to go.

Draco took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He didn't know if it was going to work, but he decided to call upon the Ancients for some form of guidance. He opened his eyes again. The world was made up of purple, yellow, and black runes. He called out the different directions in his head, spelling them in Ancients. The runes shifted in front of him. A path laid itself on the ground when he spelled "south" in his head. The runes turned blue and were very faint, but Draco could follow them nonetheless. He smirked and turned back to Harry and Stephanie who were watching him with a close eye.

"We've got a heading." Draco said, his eyes sparkling triumphantly.


	14. Snake in the Garden

Bitten

Snake in the Garden

A/N: Just a little note to you guys. I'm going to band camp for the next week and won't be able to update until Friday or late Thursday afternoon. I'll continue to write in my notebook, so expect another chapter by the weekend. There are spoilers in this chapter, but I'm almost sure everyone's read the books who are reading Harry Potter fanfic, so you already know. Anyway, happy reading and hope you enjoy!

Riley felt herself slipping away. She tried to move her fingers, but all the strength had been sapped from her body. She didn't even think she could speak.

"Is she ready for it?" Bella asked. Alva made a face, scratching his head absently. He frowned at the sheen layer of sweat that had started to appear on his skin. Breaking Riley was proving to be more difficult than he had thought.

"Alva!" Hissed Bella. He looked up, startled, as if just remembering someone else was in the room.

"What? Oh, no. Almost." He answered. His green eyes sliced sideways to look at Riley's left hand. All that was left of the ring was a small, quivering band of metal barely hanging on to her finger and a chip of the zircon that glowed a weak blue. Alva's lips twitched up into a cold smile.

"It won't be long now," he muttered. Bella looked over at him, strands of her curly hair falling into her face. She didn't like this boy. Not one bit.

Suddenly, an idea struck Alva. He snapped his fingers and looked at Bella.

"Let me see the diadem. That may be the final piece to break her." He said. The woman nodded and walked over to a table. On the table was a wooden box. She opened it and pulled out a tiara. With a large, round-cut emerald as the centerpiece, wings encrusted with diamonds created the shape of the diadem. From the lower tips of the wings back in to the middle to make the bottom of the tiara was a thin band that conformed to an inverted Widow's Peak. On the band was an etching that read "_Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."_ Two diamonds dropped down from the center of the bottom of the crown to fall on the person's forehead like a double shakra.

Bella handed the diadem to Alva. Riley let her eyes fall over the object in his hand. Wispy tendrils of black, yellow, and green were falling off the edges. There was an evil air about the jeweled crown. Alva moved towards Riley and positioned the crown over her forehead. Riley couldn't stop her body from trembling. Something about that tiara made Riley's stomach churn.

Alva gently lowered it and the moment the cool silver touched Riley's skin, she felt something inside her snap. The emerald shone a bright green as light flooded the room. Alva had to shield his eyes with his hand and Bella's lips twitched up in to a sinister smile. A yellow-green vapor rose from the diadem, forming an undefined face. The face then changed in to a snake and it's jaws opened in a hiss. It struck with a blinding speed and latched on to Riley's throat. Riley's body went cold as she felt the vapor entering her body and filling her being. The pressure dropped and a whirlwind began to fill the room. The windows all exploded outwards. Her eyes closed and she lost herself. A tiny, jingling sound wasn't heard over the wind whipping through the room as the ring on Riley's finger snapped in two. It disintegrated and the dust was picked up by the gusts.

"Yes!" Alva yelled over the wind, his smile triumphant. "We've done it!" He turned to face Bella and found her with her wand pointed at him.

"Thank you for your help," she said, her smile slimy, "But now you're no longer needed." Alva's face was blank and emotionless as he looked at her.

Bella smirked and raised her wand, "_Ava—" _In the middle of her spell, her wand was expelled from her hand. She turned and scowled at Alva.

"But how?" She yelled," You don't have a wand!"

Alva chuckled darkly to himself, "I'm at a level totally beyond your comprehension." He laughed out loud, holding his stomach from the laughter. "You're no match for me!" He yelled, almost in hysterics. Bella's eyes widened, then she sneered at him. Maybe she would leave this one for the Dark Lord. He would enjoy taking down someone who believed to be so much better than he.

~X~

The trio had found an old building. Stephanie shuddered.

"Does anyone else think that this place screams "evil plot"?" She whispered.

Harry nodded, "I'm definitely hearing "dastardly ne'er do wells"." The couple smiled at each other and Draco couldn't help but to smirk. But then Draco's face fell.

"Do you guys hear that?" the blonde asked, drawing the couple's attention. Harry and Stephanie both quieted for a moment.

Stephanie looked at Draco, "It sounds like wind." She murmured.

"Look!" Harry exclaimed, pointing to the building. Six eyes turned towards the building as a green light streaked through all of the windows.

"What is that?" Stephanie gasped. Draco's stomach clenched suddenly.

"Get down!" He yelled, covering Stephanie and Harry. With a huge boom, the windows all blew out of the building. Glass flew through the air and scattered about around the trio. After a minute or two, things seemed to calm down. Stephanie glanced up.

"Anyone know what just happened?" She looked around at her companions. Harry shook his head. Her eyes fell over Draco. He was staring blankly ahead, his hand against his chest. Stephanie frowned.

"Draco?" She whispered. His fingers curled around the fabric of his shirt. He felt like a piece of him was missing. It was almost there, but somehow blocked from him. His grey orbs tilted upwards to Harry and Stephanie.

"She's gone," he murmured. Stephanie's eyes widened.

Harry shook his head, "There's no way that she's dead." Draco shook his head as well.

"No, it's just like," he paused looking for the right word, "It's like she's sleeping." Stephanie bit her lip and looked at Harry.

"Now what do we do?" She said softly. Harry just gazed back at her. He hated not having a plan. Usually he would just burst on the scene and throw around some spells. But he couldn't do that this time. He had little to no idea of what kind of power he was against. He was more than used to dealing with Voldemort and his cronies, but Alva was a different kind of evil.

~X~

Alva let out a breath as his laughter quieted. He glanced over at Bella.

"Now, Bellatrix dear, any more plans to try and kill me?" He asked mockingly. The woman sneered at him and crossed her arms over her chest. Alva smirked and looked back to his beautiful monster, Riley. He knew he had broken her once again because he felt nothing coming from her. The evil from the part of Voldemort's soul inside of the diadem had sent her over the edge. He walked over to Riley and turned his body to look at Bellatrix.

"Shall we test her out?" He asked, smiling coldly. He then turned his attention back to the girl on the table. He didn't say anything, but didn't look away from her. Without warning, Riley's eyes snapped open. Her shackles disappeared with a loud snap and a flash of light. When Bellatrix opened her eyes, Riley was standing. Alva laughed again as Riley walked out the door.

~X~

Draco's head snapped up to look at the building.

"Something's coming," he whispered breathlessly. Stephanie and Harry looked up at the door. Nothing happened for a moment, then the door swung open. The old hinges squealed with the movement. Stephanie gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

"It's Riley!" She said.

Harry frowned, "No. That's not Riley." Stephanie's eyes flickered from the brown-haired boy to her best friend. They hid in the bushes as Riley walked towards them. She walked past and Stephanie's body turned cold.

Riley's eyes were open and staring unblinkingly forward. They looked out at the world through pale, soul-less, white eyes, much like a Thestral's. The diadem on her forehead seemed dark instead of beautiful. Draco clutched at his chest as he doubled over and grunted in pain. His head felt like it was going to split in two and it was as if his heart was being squeezed. Harry asked Draco if he was all right and Draco brushed him off. Grey orbs looked up at Riley's moving figure.

_"Riley," _he thought. Riley's body halted mid-step. Stephanie held her breath as everything seemed to freeze. The pale blonde-haired girl slowly turned and looked to where the trio was hiding. Stephanie gasped. Tears fell from the distant eyes of their friend. Draco's stomach churned. Something bad was going to happen. He shouldn't have called out to her. He jumped up and pushed Stephanie and Harry.

"Get out of here!" He whispered quickly. Harry made a face.

"What are you going to do?" He asked. Draco looked down at the Boy Who Lived and shook his head.

"Don't worry about me, just get somewhere safe. Find Dumbledore, maybe he can help." With that, Draco stood up and ran the opposite direction.

"Draco wait!" Stephanie shouted. She started to go after him, but Harry stopped her by holding on to her arm.

"Don't waste his sacrifice." He said gently. Stephanie bit her lip again but nodded. The couple quickly ran off towards the school. Riley's eyes followed the retreating couple but then turned back to the running blonde-haired boy. She closed her eyes and when she opened them again she was in front of Draco who skidded to a halt.

Draco looked up at Riley. He straightened himself and took a step towards her.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Riley." He whispered. Riley didn't say anything, almost as if she hadn't heard him. He took a deep breath and walked closer to her. He held out his hand and she flinched away from him.

"Don't touch me," she growled, her voice warped and airy like a snake. Draco was still for a moment, but then he took another step towards her. She hissed and flung her arm out at him, hitting him square in the side of the face. The force of the blow knocked him off his feet and sent him skidding across the ground. He sat up wincing and looked at Riley. Her head was tilted to the side.

"I'll k-kill you," she whispered. Draco blinked and stood again. His palm felt like it was on fire. He looked down at his hand and saw the scar that looked like a small bird. His eyes widened. No, it didn't look like any small bird, but a sterling. He looked back up to Riley, a fire in his eyes. He drew his wand.

"Riley," he said softly. Her name made her body jerk and she looked away from him. He continued gently, "That thing on your head is a horcrux. It contains a piece of Voldemort's soul. It's making it impossible for you to think and keep yourself."

He took a deep breath, "I know how to destroy it. But you'll have to trust me." Riley's eyes stared at him for a moment. She seemed to be fighting within herself. The burn in Draco's palm seemed to die a bit and he took that as a confirmation from her. He gulped again. This was extremely risky, but he'd led her to an empty field just for this reason.

_"Fiendfyre!"_ He yelled, pointing his wand towards Riley. Flames burst forth from the tip of his wand, racing towards Riley. It took the form of a serpent, chimaera, dragon, and raptor, as it mutated on it's journey. The blaze started up around Riley and she screamed out, covering her head. She crumpled into a ball on the ground. Draco winced as he felt her magic trying to counter his cursed fire. He didn't know how long he would be able to control it. He just needed for the diadem to break! His body started to tremble from the effort of controlling the Fiendfyre. He heard a scream come from the inferno that wasn't Riley's. He looked up through squinting eyes. Riley's clothes had disintegrated and the diadem was an angry black colour. He dispelled the Fiendfyre and suddenly everything was calm.

Draco didn't know when, but the power of the spell had forced him to his knees. He stood, shakily, and slowly made his way over to Riley. She was laying on her side, eyes closed. He reached down and grabbed the diadem. It disintegrated in to ashes in his hand. He let out a breath. Grey orbs sliced over to look at Riley. He sucked in a breath. On her back were dark purple tattoo-like lines. They originated from the small of her back and continued straight upwards along her spine. Just under her shoulder blades, the lines branched out and created a pattern that looked similar to wings. He reached out and feathered his fingers over them. A strange power seemed to waft off of the lines. Could these be the materialization of the powers Riley had said she locked away?

Draco shook his head. He didn't have time to think about these things now. He knew Alva could tell that something had happened to Riley. There was no way that self-centered man would allow his "Riley-pet" to just be saved again. Draco took off his jacket and placed it over the naked and unconscious Riley. He tried to ignore the red on his cheeks, but for some reason he couldn't stop thinking about it. He picked the limp girl up and started to make his way back to Hogwarts. Her body was warm and shaking. Draco couldn't even imagine what the body went through when the mind and spirit was broken. In Riley's case it had happened twice to her now.

A flash of red hot anger shot through Draco. How could someone do something like that to anyone? Riley had trusted and even loved Alva and he had betrayed her in the most cruel of ways. If Riley didn't do it herself, Draco would kill the green-eyed snake himself.


	15. Venom

Bitten

Venom

Draco made it back to the school with Riley in his arms. Harry and Stephanie had also returned and warned the headmaster. When Draco appeared at the school's gate, he was instantly with Stephanie. She had seen Riley and, fearing the worst, began bawling. The blonde-haired girl clung to Draco, sobbing loudly and asking why the world was so cruel.

Draco rolled his eyes, "She's not dead, you blubbering fool." He hissed. Stephanie blinked once, her sobbing ceasing immediately. She looked up at Draco who was scowling down at her.

"She's not?" The blonde-haired girl asked. Draco's scowl deepened.

"No. She's not, thank you very much." He growled lowly. Stephanie's body flooded with relief and her water works started all over again. Draco sighed, a headache beginning to form between his eyes.

Stephanie showed Draco to where Dumbledore was. He was up in his office. The elder instructed Draco to place Riley on the couch in the office and the blonde-haired boy did as he was told. Dumbledore walked over to Riley with his calm gait. The man looked Riley over, waving his hand from the top of her head to her toes.

"It seems as if Miss Sterling has been poisoned," He announced.

"What?" Stephanie shrieked, "How can that be?"

Harry put his hand on her shoulder, "Stephie, calm down." He murmured. She brushed his arm off of her.

"Don't touch me! I'm not going to calm down! Riley's my best friend! If she's poisoned there must be an antidote!" She yelled.

"I'm afraid it's not that kind of poison my dear," Dumbledore said calmly as he placed his hand gently on her shoulder.

She looked up at him, "Headmaster," she whispered. The elder man removed his hand from Stephanie's shoulder and regarded the group calmly.

"It appears to me that the effect of the horcrux on Riley's psyche were devastating. It could take weeks or even years, before she completely loses herself to the evil." He said. Stephanie gasped and turned to bury her face in Harry's chest. He gently rubbed her back with his hands.

"Is there nothing we can do, Professor?" The brown-haired boy asked. His headmaster looked at him for a long time, then averted his gaze.

"I'm afraid, of that, I am not certain." He said gently.

~X~

Draco sat outside in the cold. The school had returned to normal and only a few students were left wondering around during the Christmas holiday. The grey-eyed boy was on a bench, pulling his jacket tightly around his shoulders. He also tightened his scarf around his neck. Snow was everywhere and continued to pile up as the flakes fell gently from the sky. He sighed and stood up. He trudged down the paths towards the Slytherin dorms. He made it to his room and unlocked the door. He took off his coat and dropped it to crumple on the floor in a pile. His scarf slithered off his neck and joined the coat on the floor. The boy plopped down face first on his bed. He pulled his legs up and curled in to a half-ball. Even though he was snuggled in his bed, he still felt numb. He closed his eyes. What was he doing, he asked himself.

~X~

Riley opened her eyes slowly. She brought her hands up and rubbed at her eyes. She didn't bring her hands all the way away, but let them frame her face instead. Her body felt heavy and she was still consumed by exhaustion. A splitting headache made the light in the room painful. With a sharp pang, she curled on her side and held her stomach. She felt as if she was going to be sick. Whimpering softly, her body shook with continuous tremors. She reopened her eyes halfway and looked around. Where was she? She saw a picture on the wall and realized she was in her dorm room. Her stomach clenched again and she inhaled sharply as she doubled over again. She gasped for breath. What was happening? It was as if her body was having problems existing in the world it was in. Suddenly, she had an idea. She glanced down at her left hand. The link to Draco which allowed her to be back in the Waking World until she had healed herself was gone. Swallowing hard, she scrambled to her feet. She had to find Draco and fast.

"Where are you, Draco?" She breathed.

~X~

"_Where are you, Draco?"_ A voice whispered in Draco's ear. Draco was startled awake and he sat up.

"Riley?" He asked the air. He felt foolish as he looked around and saw he was still in his dorm room. But he could have sworn that he'd heard Riley. He hissed in pain as the scar on the back of his palm flared with heat. He cradled his hand to his chest and scowled. Something was wrong. As he grabbed his coat and scarf he rushed out the door. The cold hit him hard as he buttoned up his coat. He hurried down the paths towards the Hufflepuff dorms. Halfway there he saw a person knelt down by a bench. They were breathing heavily, their breath visible in haggard breaths.

"Riley!" Draco yelled, catching the person's attention. Their head snapped up and she looked at him with hazy blue eyes.

"Draco," she said gently. He saw her effort in trying to stand and he was by her side in an instant. He had his hands under her elbows and helped her on to the bench. She was breathing heavily and seemed to be in pain. Draco stood in front of her. She was also shivering so he took off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. Her blue eyes sliced up to his.

"L-Link," she whimpered. He blinked and looked down at his left hand. The ring was gone! Convulsions ripped through her body, "Can't st-stay," she said. Draco let out a breath.

"Maybe if you didn't go around breaking your bonds so easily," Draco hissed. He knelt down on his knees in front of Riley. Would this work in the Waking World?

After a second, he took in a deep breath to steady himself. He had an idea and if it didn't work, he didn't have a back-up plan. In his head, he envisioned the Ancients and made them into a charm. He continued to repeat the charm in head head over and over again as he reached forward. He pushed his hands in to Riley's. Their palms touched gently before he repositioned his fingers in the slots between hers. Again, they fit perfectly together.

A sort of shock ran up both of their arms. Draco could feel a small bond beginning to form between them, but it was missing something. It felt almost like the spell needed a sort of exchange or anchor. Riley winced and Draco remembered he had to act fast. He could only think of one thing to do. He bit his lip and hesitated. What if it didn't work? Draco began to pull away from Riley and she whimpered. He was shocked to realize that this girl—whom he barely knew—really needed him. Her body was shaking and he knew she was in a lot of pain. With a tremendous amount of effort, he pushed his fear and cowardice away. Slowly, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Riley's.

A light exploded around them and glowed for a minute. The orb shrank back down and hovered above each student's left hand. It vanished in an instant, leaving two new rings. The rings wrapped around the fingers of the boy and girl. On Riley's hand, the ring looked like a snake. It had two grey gems for small eyes. However, on Draco's finger, the ring wrapped around and ended in the shape of a small bird at his knuckle. The bird had two small sapphires for eyes. After a moment, the two students broke apart from each other, their breathing slightly heavier than before. Grey eyes stared in to pale blue as neither of them spoke.

A/N : What's going to happen to the two now? How will Riley's 'poison' affect her and those around her? And what is Alva going to do about his precious Riley-pet being stolen away from him? I guess you'll all just have to wait for me to write the next chapter. Sorry that this one took longer than anticipated and that it's much shorter than the last few have been! This chapter was just a kick in the pants and I feel like I could have done so much more with it. So, stick with me! Thank you for reading and commenting. I hope you enjoy. :)


	16. Decisions, Part One

Bitten

Decisions, Part One

The ordeal with Alva soon blew over as the winter holiday came and went. No one that had been at the Yule Ball remembered what had happened. Dumbledore had collected all of the attendants and asked the resident Occlumen—who just so happened to be Riley—to replace the memories of all those who had been at the ball. It had been a bit difficult for Riley who had still been recovering. But, because of her extensive training with Alva, she was able to complete the task.

Stephanie had been very worried about Riley the whole time. Riley would always brush her off, saying she was overreacting. However, Riley knew that all things were not well with her. She was always thinking things and noticing traits that she had never really noticed before. They were horrible, nasty things. Even her tongue was beginning to become sharp and mean. Because of this she started to lock herself away; distance herself from others.

School began and older students were all busy studying for their OWLs and NEWTs. Stephanie and Harry were beginning to have a rocky relationship. They would have little disagreements that would quickly escalate into large arguments and fights. Stephanie was always in Riley's room telling her this and that. One day, Riley just got fed up with it.

"And then—oh this makes me so mad—he decided that it would be a good idea to entrust me with the information that my sister is going around kissing people like mad. Then he had the gall to tell me that he wished I was more affectionate—"

"Would you shut up?" Riley snapped. She was sure that a vein was popping out on her forehead. Stephanie was so shocked that she sat there gaping at Riley like she had just told Stephanie that she was pregnant with a bat boy who she was going to sell to the circus.

Riley let out a frustrated breath, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Look, I'm sick and tired of listening to nothing but complaints from you. If it's so bad, why don't you two just break up?" The blonde hissed. Stephanie blinked, then looked down at her hands.

"Riley," she said softly, "I'm sorry." She shook her head and brought her hands up to her face. Her shoulders shook gently.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. Riley frowned. Why was Stephanie apologizing when Riley was the one who had gotten angry?

Riley's behavior continued to decline from that point on. But, she was so terrified of this sudden change in herself, she hardly ever came out of her dorm. One day, she thought about harming someone. It wasn't even someone who she knew or had done anything to provoke her. Her hands shook as she walked quickly to the Headmaster's office. She rode the staircase as it spiraled upwards. She stood awkwardly in the entryway before Dumbledore looked up from his parchments. He adjusted his glasses.

"Riley, come in," He said gently. Riley swallowed hard and walked in to the area.

"Headmaster," she said, her voice nearly a whisper. She cleared her throat and tried again, "I'm scared." He looked at her steadily, then took his glasses off.

"What is making you so frightened, child?" He asked. Another lump formed in her throat and she swallowed it down. But she still felt like she was going to be sick.

"There's something," she paused, "Wrong with me. I don't know how to explain it. It's like there was a part of me hidden away and now it's been unlocked. There's this dark energy bubbling up inside me, slowly escaping like a poison." Dumbledore sighed, sitting down on a couch. He patted the spot next to him and Riley sat down.

"I was hoping to avoid having to tell you this," he began," Riley, you aren't too far from the mark. When your mind was broken," he stopped as he saw a shudder run through Riley's body, "Sorry if I'm bringing up something unpleasant, but you must know. Alva used a horcrux as the final push. The malice and avarice has infected you and in a way, has poisoned you."

Riley stared at Dumbledore.

"So you mean that I'm changing?" Her voice wavered as a knot in her stomach formed. Her Headmaster nodded.

She looked down, "Is there no way to stop it?" He was silent for a moment.

"I'm afraid not." He whispered. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Her hands that had been clasped together shook slightly. After a moment, steel-blue orbs opened slowly. She looked at her hands and ran her thumb over the snake that circled her finger.

"I'll end up hurting those who I care about, won't I?" She asked, turning her gaze up at him. The elder man looked at Riley.

"You know the answer to that just as well as I do," He murmured.

"There has to be something that I can do!" She hissed, "I'm not just going to take this laying down!"

Dumbledore held his hand up, to sort of calm her sudden anger. She blushed, realizing the harsh reality of the situation. There was silence for what seemed like eternity, then Dumbledore spoke.

"You can slow the effects," He started, "But it may be too difficult for you."

Riley looked at him, "If there's anything I can do to even delay this just the slightest bit, I'll do it."

"How did I know you would say that?" He murmured to himself, "You must remove yourself from negative feelings. People and places will influence how quickly and intensely you are affected by Alva's venom."

Dumbledore's instructions slowly sank in to Riley's mind.

Her eyes widened, "Do you mean that I have to leave?" She whispered. The wise man did not answer and Riley felt her chest tighten.

"There's no other way?" She asked, hope still glimmering in her future.

He shook his head, "I've been looking for any other solution, but the chances of finding one is slim." Her heart sank. She closed her eyes again and was silent.

"How long do I have?" Her voice was soft and seemed weak. It was as if she was tired and done with fighting.

"It's entirely your choice, Riley. But the sooner that you can distance yourself, the better." He instructed. She swallowed, took a deep breath, and nodded.

"I understand," she said. Her eyes turned upward and looked at her Headmaster," Thank you for everything, sir."

"I'm sorry there wasn't more I could do for you," he murmured.

Riley stood, feeling numb. Everything seemed so unreal to her.

Dumbledore watched as the staircase slowly spiraled down, taking Riley with it. He sat on the couch for another moment. Then he stood, slowly walking over to a picture and looking up at it.

"Riley Sterling," he whispered to himself, "I'm sure if you just follow your heart, you can stop the darkness in your heart."

A/N: Sorry this one took so long to get out! I hope everyone enjoys it and sticks around for part two! What will Riley do?


	17. Decisions, Part Two

Bitten

Decisions, Part Two

Riley stood in the doorway of her dorm. She stared inside, her eyes slowly wondering over the now empty room. It had taken a long few days of very hard thinking, but finally her decision was that she had to leave. Staying in this place any longer was sure to be a bad idea. Her movements had been slowed and almost robotic as she packed all her belongings into the three, plain traveling trunks she owned. The entire process was sickening and pained Riley to the point where she was surprised that she hadn't cried.

The room was now bare and seemed to carry a cold draft. She had mailed the trunks to her vault at Gringotts. There were a select few things inside of the vault, and it seemed almost a mockery to her dorm. A heavy sigh left her body deflated and tired. How had everything turned out this way? Very slowly, she pulled her black hoodie over her body and wrapped her black and yellow scarf around her neck. In the days she had been packing, the weather had turned chilly with the springtime frost. She took one last long look at her room, her stomach in knots. But she squeezed her eyes shut tightly to keep the burning tears at bay and turned away. The hollow click of the latch echoed in the empty room as the last sliver of light disappeared from the doorway.

~X~

Draco shivered and looked around. He was alone in the small study room off the library. His eyes fell on the open window that had sheer white curtains framing it. The thin fabric billowed gently as a cold breeze pushed through the window. Another shiver passed through Draco's body. He wrapped his green and silver scarf around his neck. The chair he was in gave a groan as he stood from it's wooden frame. The Slytherin boy walked over to the window to close it when his eyes fell over a figure slowly walking through the gardens. He noticed the black and yellow scarf wrapped around their neck and the leggings that came out from under the wool skirt. What was a Hufflepuff girl doing walking around? Of course, why shouldn't a student be walking around the school grounds? But something felt wrong and stiff about the way they were moving. Draco's eyes continued to follow them as a bitter gust of wind blew across the campus. The curtains fluttered wildly and the wind stung at Draco's eyes. He looked back out to the garden and saw the wind had blown the person's hood down. They had chin length blonde hair that fell straight and almost looked like silver. His heart stopped momentarily in his chest.

"Riley," he whispered. A feeling a dread rooted itself in the pit of his stomach. He turned on his heels and hurried from the room.

~X~

Riley struggled to place the hood back on her head as the wind continued to blow madly. It was a moment or two before the wind died back down. A frown had made its way to her lips. What was the deal with the weather? One moment it was just slightly miserable, then the next there were crazy gusts of bitter northern winds. She sighed and replaced her hood on her head, returning to the heat that seemed to fail to get under her skin. After she took another breath, she began to walk forward once again. The weather was a harsh reminder of the future that awaited her. Would it be better for her to just let all of her emotions go? To Riley, she was beginning to think that it was just useless to keep thinking things would be going her way at any point in her life. A firm grip on her upper arm made her gasp. She looked back to see who had stopped her and her heart fell in to her stomach.

"Draco," she breathed, her words exiting as white steam that quickly disappeared in to the air. The visual of his quick breaths made her realize he had been running to catch up with her.

"Where are you going?" He panted, still trying to catch his breath. She looked in to his grey eyes, her stomach slowly churning.

"I'm going away," she finally whispered after a moment. Her slate blue eyes were forced to look down. She couldn't bring herself to look at him anymore.

"Where?" He demanded. Again, she found herself swallowing hard.

"Somewhere,"

"You're running away." He hissed. She snapped her head up and found his eyes even more smothering than normal. She couldn't breathe. Why was all of this happening? She just wanted to keep everyone safe! Was that so much to ask for?

"Let go of me Draco," she said, trying to push him away with her voice.

"No."

"Draco, please," Riley begged. Hot tears were beginning to sting at her eyes. Pressing her eyes closed tightly, she tried to pull her arm out of Draco's grasp. His fingers merely tightened around her arm.

"I'm not going to let go of you again," he shouted at her. Her body turned to stone and she was frozen in place. Her eyes turned back up to his.

"What?" Her voice seemed stuck in her throat. Why couldn't she speak? His eyes bore in to hers.

"You heard me, I won't let go of you." He repeated again. Riley tried to swallow, but she felt like she was going to be sick to her stomach.

"You can't do this to me. Not right now Draco," She had lost all strength in every part of her body and it showed in her voice. Now he decided to hold on to her with all of his fervor? What was his problem?

"You think that I hadn't noticed?" He began, "You've been gone from class and I never see you around anywhere. You used to be in the library on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from three to five. On Saturdays you like to take go to the Astronomy tower to check the position of a new star you've been watching for almost a year." Her heart clenched. He'd been taking notice of her for that long?

"Why are you doing this?" He asked, the fire in his gaze softening just slightly. Silence stretched between them. She shook her head.

"I have to leave," she said gently, "I'm not stable."

He scoffed, "Stable? Are you kidding me right now?" She just looked at him. He blinked back at her, "You're not joking." Suddenly his look turned angry.

"So just because you're having a little mood swing makes you think you can just throw us all under a bus? Well?"

"They aren't mood swings you insufferable prick!" She yelled at him. Instantly her anger melted away, "No, no. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to say that." She cringed, realizing that her statement made it seem like they were mood swings. She sighed heavily and held her head in her hands.

"I can't explain it,"

"Then don't." He simply stated.

Riley stared at him like she had discovered his third eye.

"I can't just ignore it," she felt hopeless, "These horrible feelings are bubbling up inside of me and I can't make them stop." She murmured. Her hands fell to her stomach, suddenly feeling like she was going to be violently ill. The emerald eyes of the snake wrapped around her finger glinted up at her and stared at her coldly.

"Are you really that stupid?" He chided. Her eyes flickered up to his own. They were almost as cold as the gems of the ring of her finger.

"Do you honestly think that there's nothing you can do but run away?" His voice was soft when he spoke this time. Riley's heart skipped a beat for a moment.

"Draco, I," she began. The words fled from her mouth and her throat felt dry. "I'm not strong enough to stop whatever it is that is happening to me."

"You believe that?" He asked, "You really believe that crap?"

Her anger began to boil inside her again, "Why are you so mean? Can you not be nasty to me for one second? I'm really scared right now!" She hissed at him. He stared at her, blinking for a moment.

"What?"

"What? You can't get the fact that I'm human? I'm not some invincible hero that you place on a pedestal. I have real emotions too!" Riley felt her hands shaking and knew that she wouldn't be able to hold herself together for much longer.

"Why can't you just let me be normal?" She yelled. Her heart was hammering in her throat and tears were beginning to stream down her face.

"I can't," she stammered, "I just can't handle it anymore."

Draco seemed frozen in time. His fingers felt cold and it was like everything stopped. When Riley pulled her arm from his grasp, it felt like slow motion. She turned and picked up her heels as she ran from him. His mind felt like molasses and none of his thoughts or actions seemed like they couldn't happen fast enough.

"Wait," he wanted to yell, "Don't go." He pleaded in his mind. But no words came from between his lips. The springtime fog became thick in that exact moment and she was gone. His eyes searched in the mist for her thin and frail frame. Yet there was no figure to be found. He felt completely numb and only realized he had sunk to his knees when the cold began to seep through his pants.


	18. Battles are Begun

Bitten:

In Which Battles Are Begun and Friends Are Remembered

The enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall was dark and scattered with stars, and below it the four long House Tables were lined with dishelved students, some in traveling cloaks, others in dressing gowns. Here and there shone pearly white figures of the school ghosts. Every eye, living and dead, was fixed upon Professor McGonagall, who was speaking from the raised platform at the top of the Hall. Behind her stood the remaining teachers and the members of the Order of the Phoenix who had arrived to fight. Many of the students looked petrified. However, as Harry scanned for Ron, Hermoine, and Stephanie, Erin Macmillan stood up at the Hufflepuff table and shouted, "What if we want to stay and fight?" There was a smattering of applause.

"If you are of age, you may stay," said Professor McGonagall. The Slytherins all filed out first, none of the elder vipers staying behind. They were followed by the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor houses. A number of students from Ravenclaw stayed; even more Hufflepuffs and half of the Gryffindor students remained in their seats. After all the students had been put in groups, McGonagall hurried over to Harry who had found Stephanie in the crowd.

"Aren't you supposed to be looking for something?" The new Headmaster hissed at the two.

"What? Oh," said Harry, "oh yeah!"

He had almost forgotten about the Horcux, almost forgotten that the battle was being fought so that he could search for it. A tug on his arm brought him back to the present.

"Let's go," Stephanie said, a bit of worry in her voice. Her eyes looked up at him and he noticed she was biting her lip slightly. He stared at her for a moment before reaching up. His hand cupped her face and he ran his thumb lightly over her bottom lip. He felt her lip tremble beneath his gentle touch. She leaned her face in to his hand.

"Can we not do this now?" She whispered.

He was silent another moment before letting his hand fall back to his side," Right—yeah –" he murmured.

They hurried to where they would find the ghost of Ravenclaw. They talked with the Gray Lady; she revealed that she had stolen the diadem from her mother. Stephanie frowned.

"Where would it be? We don't have time for this!" She said with an exasperated breath.

"He must have hidden it when he asked Dumbledore for a job!" Harry exclaimed, "He had to have hidden it somewhere between Dumbledore's office and the next floor, but where?"

"What about the Room of Requirement?" Stephanie suggested. Harry looked at her and smiled.

"Have I ever told you how smart and amazing you are?"

She blushed, looking down, "You may have mentioned it a few times," she mumbled. The ring on her finger glinted in the dim lighting. He moved his hand slightly and took her smaller hand in to his.

The walk to the Room of Requirement seemed longer than it usually was. People were running all around them, some trying to get to their stations and others trying to get some of their things and evacuate the school building. When they made it to the Room, Ron and Hermoine were already there.

"What took you two so bloody long?" Ron hissed.

"Well, sorry. I tried to find you, but you were nowhere to be found!" Harry retorted quickly. Hermoine sighed and shook her head.

"Can we just find the horcrux and destroy it?" She said a bit irritably.

Stephanie nodded, "We don't have time to waste."

They all agreed on this and quickly opened the Room. Piles upon piles of stuff and things were stacked up all over the room. The towers of things carried on for what seemed like acres of space.

"We're never going to find a little tiara in all this junk!" Ron exclaimed. Hermoine shot Ron a look and he let out a resigned breath, "You know you're all thinkin' it!"

"You're right, we need to split up and search," Hermoine insisted, "Ron and I will take the north end and you and Harry can take the south end."

Stephanie nodded, "All right. That sounds like a plan. C'mon Harry, let's go," she said as she took his hand. His grip tightened around hers as they separated from Ron and Hermoine.

The amount of junk in the room was just ridiculous.

"What are we looking for again?" Stephanie asked as she looked through a pile.

"It should be in a wooden box," Harry called as he sifted through a pile of his own. Stephanie huffed up and continued to search. There was a twisting feeling in her stomach. Why did she feel like they were looking for the wrong thing?

"Trying to get your hands in to our business, Potter?" Resonated a voice that sent a chill down Stephanie's spine. The duo spun around to look at the blonde hair of Draco Malfoy and his cronies.

The years hadn't been kind to Draco. His hair had grown a bit longer but his face was much different. The years had drawn his face down and bags had under his eyes. His eyes had lost their luster and were now a dull grey. Harry stepped in front of Stephanie, to shield her from Draco.

"Look here Malfoy, what you're doing is stupid and wrong. Can't you see that?" He said, trying to reason with the male.

Draco replied with a scoff, "Are you attempting to make me see the error of my ways?" Another lifeless laugh escaped his throat, "Good luck with that Potter." Stephanie was beginning to get sick and tired of Malfoy's attitude.

She stepped out to the side of Harry a bit and glared at the blonde male, "Ever since Riley left, you've become this—"She was cut off abruptly by a wand suddenly pointed at her throat. Draco's eyes were full of a fiery rage.

"If you don't want that pretty face of yours all messed up," he growled, "stop talking."

Stephanie flinched, but refused to back down, "Draco you need to realize that acting out like this isn't going to bring Riley back." She saw his throat bob as he swallowed hard, "I know you're just trying to become stronger so you can protect her and keep her close to you, but—"

"Just shut up!" The Slytherin screamed. Harry slowly moved his hand towards his wand and Draco moved his wand to point at Harry, "Don't even think about moving!" The grey eyed boy was shaking with rage. Neither Goyle nor Crabbe had ever seen Draco so upset over something.

"She really admired you," she continued, "wanted to show everyone how great of a guy you were."

"Quiet!" His wand turned back to Stephanie.

"You wouldn't believe how excited and nervous she had been when you had asked her to the Yule Ball. She asked me how to use make-up, and how to do hair, and what kind of dress do you wear—"Harry saw his opportunity and grabbed the wand that was formerly Draco's from his back pocket.

"_Expelleramus!" _ He shouted. Draco's mother's wand flew from Draco's hands. His eyes went from anger, to shock, to fear.

"Harry! Harry, we found the box!" Hermoine's voice yelled from over the piles of stuff. Harry and Stephanie looked to Draco, who stood frozen to his spot, then bolted in the direction of Hermoine's voice. Crabbe stepped up.

"Don't think you can just walk out of here alive!" He yelled. He raised his wand and pointed it at the retreating duo, "_Fiendfyre!"_

An inferno leapt from the tip of Crabbe's wand. It engulfed everything in its path as it raced towards Harry, Stephanie, Ron, and Hermoine. The blaze changed shape as it chased the foursome through the twisting towers of junk. To escape the fire, Draco, Goyle, and Crabbe quickly climbed the highest stack. The fire quickly devoured everything in the room. The foursome hit a dead end and turned to see the blaze upon them. Its shape changed between a chimaera, raptor, viper, and dragon as it rushed towards them.

"There's no way out! The door's on the other side of the room!" Ron shouted over the raging inferno.

"Water spells aren't effective against the flames at all!" Hermoine hissed as she tried to extinguish the flames nearest them. Harry and Stephanie looked around.

Pointing to a stack, Stephanie exclaimed, "Look!" Everyone turned their eyes to the pile and grins spread across their faces. Four broomsticks lay against the stack just waiting to be used.

The foursome zoomed over the flames, racing towards the exit. They were flying over a stack when Hermoine spotted two figures climbing over the stack.

"Look! It's Draco and Goyle!" She yelled. Surely enough, the two were climbing as quickly as they could to get away from the flames.

"Where's Crabbe?" Stephanie asked frantically. She looked sideways to Harry and he shook his head. Her throat tightened a bit. Even if she hadn't been friends with the Slytherin, loathed him even, she didn't think he deserved to die by being burned to death.

"Serves them right!" Ron said. He grinned at Harry and then frowned as he saw the look in the boy's eyes, "Don't tell me you're planning on saving them?"

"We can't just leave them here!"

"Like bloody hell we can't!"

Harry sighed and looked at Stephanie who nodded. The two swooped down and reached out. Harry grabbed on to Goyle's wrist easily and pulled him up on to the broom. However, Stephanie missed his outstretched hand by the littlest amount. The missing threw his balance off and he toppled backwards, losing his grip on the pile. He started to fall down towards the flames. There was nothing he could do; he was going to die here. His hands were out in front of him as he fell down. His eyes roamed over the glinting silver bird that wrapped up his middle finger.

"Riley," he whispered. He'd already lost Crabbe to the fire and now he was going to die without being able to see Riley again. Was what Stephanie had said right? Was he just trying to stir up enough dust to make her come back? He swallowed hard and closed his eyes. If he focused hard enough, it was like she was there with him.

_Her lips stretched slightly as she smiled at him._

"_What have you been up to while I was gone? You seem to have caused quite a lot of trouble," she chided. Her voice; it was so good to hear her voice again. The vibrant sound was like silver bells and made warmth spread across Draco's skin. Those pale blue eyes twinkled at him as she smiled. In his mind, her hair had grown longer and given her an added element of elegance._

"_Will you promise to be good from now on?" She asked her voice low and gentle. She wasn't reprimanding him at all, or admonishing him for what he'd done. Her hands were warm and soft as they cupped his cheek. The light scent of fruit and crème came from her skin._

"_Thank you for not forgetting," she whispered._

Draco opened his eyes. His head felt like it was being hammered in to by nails. He felt like he was going to throw up. He looked around and saw that he was on a broom flying above the smoldering Room of Requirement. But who was flying the broom? A scent wafted up and hit his nose. It didn't smell like burning flesh, or disintegrating matter, but it was more like raspberries and vanilla. He chest tightened and he forced his eyes to focus. The person flying the broom was wearing a black travelling cape and had long, silvery blonde hair. The emerald eye of a snake glinted up from a finger on handle of the broomstick.

A/N: Hey! Sorry for such the wait! I've just been so busy with school and now I finally got a chance to just sit down and write. I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and I wish for everyone to be safe while doing their Black Friday shopping tonight! I'm going to be at a JC Penny's around four a.m. tonight in the DFW area! Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews and I hope you will continue to enjoy the story. This one is unfortunately going to be coming to a close pretty soon, so stick around for the heartwarming, heartbreaking, dramatic finale of Bitten.


	19. Finale: Wars Fought and Battles Won

Bitten

In Which Wars are Fought and Battles are Won

Once they landed safely, Goyle scrambled away.

"That's right, you blighter, you better bloody run!" Ron yelled after him, shaking his fist. Hermoine shook her head and placed a hand on Ron's shoulder. He let out a breath and calmed down a bit.

"I still can't believe you wanted to save those no good numpeties," he said as he turned to Harry. But Harry wasn't really paying attention. His green eyes were searching for the head of golden blonde hair that was supposed to be there.

"Where's Stephanie?" He asked. Hermoine and Ron both blinked and looked up, as if just suddenly noticing her absence.

"Wasn't she right behind us? She couldn't have gotten caught in the flames could she?" Hermoine said with her voice faltering slightly. Harry felt his chest tighten uncomfortably.

"No, there's no possibility," He whispered. But as the seconds continued to tick by, there was no sign of Stephanie or Draco anywhere.

Hermoine took a small step towards Harry, "Oh my goodness, Harry, I'm so sorry," Hermoine whispered. He felt small shivers beginning to travel across his skin.

"No, Stephanie couldn't," he stammered, "She wouldn't," He felt hot tears start to sting behind his glasses. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from crying. He would not cry; he couldn't. He still had a war to win, even if Stephanie wasn't by his side.

Suddenly there was a large explosion and the door to the Room of Requirement burst open. The flames were still devouring the stacks of things. There was a form slowly emerging from the inferno. It was actually three people, but one was doing most of the walking. One of the figures started to sputter and cough to try and clear their lungs of the thick black smoke.

"Stephanie?" Harry yelled as he ran towards the figures.

"Close the door!" commanded a voice from the group. Harry didn't recognize it but complied anyway.

He lifted his wand and pointed it towards the doors, "_Colloportus!_" he shouted. The doors swung shut and there was a loud clicking sound as the doors locked. They melted away back in to the wall and hid the Room once again.

Harry looked back to the group, which could now be made out as three people. There was one person in the middle in a long traveling cloak. The hood was up so very little could be seen about the person. They were flanked on their left and right by two people. The person on the right was being supported by the cloaked figure in the middle as they moved forward. However, the person on the left was walking a few paces behind the duo. Harry realized absently that the person on the left was Draco. Harry had a mixture of relief and regret that the Slytherin prince had survived. But he supposed it was all for the best.

"Stephanie!" He cried, running towards them. The girl in question was in fact still alive. She had a bit of black on her skin from the soot and ash, but there didn't seem to be any visible wounds. Stephanie tilted her head up and smiled at Harry. She began to cough again and doubled over. The cloaked figure reached down to keep her from falling forward as Stephanie continued to cough and wheeze. Harry was there in a matter of moments and pulling Stephanie from the stranger's grasp. He pulled her quickly in to a tight embrace, smothering his face in to her hair. He didn't care that traces of smoke and fire still clung to the golden locks, just that it was his Stephanie there with him.

"Oh, I thought I had lost you," he whispered against her hair, "Don't you ever do that to me again."

She laughed softly, stifling a cough, "I'm sorry. I'll try not to,"

Harry let out a breath and squeezed her once more before putting a little space between them. He only held her at arm's length because he wasn't going to be letting go of her any time soon.

"What happened in there?" He asked softly. Stephanie's face turned a gentle pink as she blushed.

"Well, I guess, you could say I messed up a little?"

"Messed up?"

"Yeah, I missed Draco's hand when I tried to pull him off the burning tower," she mumbled, glancing back at the mentioned blonde, "So I tried to go back and see if he was there. Then he wasn't on the tower so I thought he'd fallen in to the flames. I just kept flying around to see if maybe he'd managed to survive and eventually I got lost and the flames just kept getting bigger. So I was sure that I was dead, but then they," she waved her hand vaguely towards the cloaked figure, "helped me find my way out."

Harry nodded and looked up at the figure, "I have to thank you. Not only saving Stephanie, but also rescuing the worthless guy there too."

Draco sneered at Harry, "Up yours, Potter." He growled.

"Really? That's what you say to me? Who just saved you and your lousy goon from your own stupid spell?" Harry hissed, moving towards Draco.

"You want to go Potter? I'd be more than happy to knock your sorry self off your high ho—" Draco began, but he was cut off. As he advanced on Harry, a hand shot out and grabbed on to Draco's wrist.

"Draco," whispered the hooded person. He turned slightly and stared at them. He let out a breath after a moment and stood still.

"Maybe some other time I'll put you in your place," he spat towards Harry, accompanied with an icy glare. Stephanie frowned.

She took a step away from Harry, "Thank you, for saving us, that is." She said to the stranger. Harry held on to Stephanie's hand as she took another step towards the stranger.

"But, who are you?" she whispered.

The moment seemed to drag on forever. However, finally, the stranger moved. They pulled their hand from Draco's wrist and grabbed the edges of the hood. They pulled the hood back slowly and revealed long silver hair. They lowered their hands and opened their eyes.

Stephanie inhaled sharply and felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes, "Riley!" she gasped.

A small smile formed on Riley's lips, "Hey Steph. Long time no see, huh?" she whispered gently. Stephanie pulled free from Harry and ran to her friend. She wrapped her arms around the now taller girl and pulled her close.

"Oh my god, I thought," she said through sobs, "I had thought you were—"

"Stephanie, it's all right. I'm really here. Please don't cry," Riley whispered against Stephanie's head. She hugged her friend back.

"It's good to see you again," the silver-eyed girl said. A small laugh escaped from Stephanie's lips and she put a small distance between them.

"Where did you go? Why didn't you write? You could have sent an owl or something. We were all so worried. I mean, Riley, do you have any idea—"

Riley smiled slightly, her aged eyes softening slightly, "Some other time, perhaps." Stephanie opened her mouth, closed it, and then looked down.

"You're right. We have more important things to do now, don't we?" She murmured. Riley's smile widened and she nodded.

"Wait just one bloody second," came Ron's voice. This made the entire group, Draco included, look up at him. The ginger was thoroughly confused, "Who exactly is this person? How do we know we can trust them? For all we know, they could be a spy placed by Voldemort to distract us from our task. There is no way I am trusting some mysterious person who just shows up out of the flames. I don't care how hot they are!"

Hermione shot an agitated glare at him and let out an angry breath, "Ronald's right. What are her credentials that you two would so quickly accept her?"

"Oh that's right, Riley was pre-DA so you wouldn't know her," Harry mumbled.

Stephanie stepped forward, holding Riley's hand gently in her own, "Ron, Hermione," she addressed them, "This is Riley Sterling, prospective sixth year Hufflepuff and my best friend."

"I am sorry if I have caused you any feelings of uncertainty," Riley said softly moving away from Stephanie, "But I can promise to you that I am a person that you can trust. I have come to help."

Ron still seemed unsure but he gave a noncommittal shrug nonetheless.

"We can't stay here much longer," Hermione reminded them, "Someone is sure to come along this way at any moment."

"You're right, we need to get out there and help fight," Harry said, his face a stern mask of bravery.

"Fight?" Came an exasperated voice, "What good do you think you can do? You're against an entire army!"

All the eyes turned on the voice and Draco glared back at them.

"Draco's right. Let's just give up now and forget about all the fighting we've done up till this point and just surrender. Give them Harry like they want and let everything get sucked in to terrible bloody chaos." Ron said sarcastically. Draco visibly winced and his lip rose in a snarl.

Before he could get his words out, Riley raised her hand to quiet him, "It won't do anyone any good if we stay here and argue amongst ourselves. Let's split in to groups of two and go from there,"

"That sounds like a good plan," Stephanie agreed, "I'll go with Riley and then—"

"No," Riley interrupted once more, "You stay with Harry. I'll go with Draco,"

Stephanie reached out and grabbed forcefully on to Riley's hand, "No! You can't leave me all alone again!"

"Stephanie," Harry said softly. He put a hand on her shoulder. She looked back at him and then to Riley.

Riley smiled at Stephanie, "You'll be safest with Harry believe it or not. Besides, I have no plans of vanishing this time."

Stephanie chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before releasing Riley's hand, "Okay fine. But we all meet up within the hour, got it?"

"Of course," Riley affirmed with a nod.

After another few minutes of discussion, the groups went their separate ways. Stephanie was with Harry, Ron with Hermione, and Riley with Draco. Draco was walking slightly ahead of Riley and she followed silently behind him. Draco felt his chest tighten ever so slightly.

He stopped abruptly, clenching his fists at his side, "Why did you come back?" He hissed between his teeth.

"I had to," Riley whispered. Draco turned and faced her.

"Why? What sense of duty do you have to this fight?" His voice was full of so many emotions that not even he could decipher where one feeling started and the next began.

She was quiet for a moment, "I don't suppose I have a duty to this fight particularly,"

"Then for what reason would you risk your life in this place?" His voice had risen to nearly a yell. It was obvious that he was frustrated and he hated showing such a weakness. He lowered his head and turned his gaze away from her. Riley took a step forward and placed her hand gently on his forearm.

"I'm not risking my life for this silly war," she murmured, "I'm here to protect those who are important to me."

Draco looked back at her and he was speechless.

"You mean people like Cradey and Potter, of course,"

A small smile stretched across her lips, "Them too," she squeezed his arm gently, "But you as well."

A shiver ran through Draco's spine. He quickly pulled his arm from her grasp and took a shaky step backwards.

"You left, all those years ago," he said, his voice barely above a trembling whisper, "You abandoned me,"

"I couldn't stay," her eyes were pleading, "You know that."

"I wanted to help you," his voice was back to a yell, "I would have thrown everything away to help you! You just ignored that, you didn't care about anyone but yourself. And now I," he paused, struggling with his words, "Now I've done horrible things that I can't take back."

"I shouldn't have left you alone," she admitted, "I know that now. But I was young and scared then. I didn't understand anything that was happening—I didn't know how to handle it. But," she stepped forward and threw her arms around the boy. Draco's body stiffened but his heartbeat rapidly increased. The scent of raspberries and vanilla filled his nostrils.

"I could never forget you," she continued with her breath against the skin of his neck, "And thank you for not forgetting me."

"I," he stammered, "How could I forget you?" His arms returned her embrace and held her tight against him. He had never thought this day would come when Riley was returned to him. Not even in his most wild of dreams had he imagined she would be in his arms like this.

He buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply, "If you're going to fight, at least this time please let me protect you,"

Riley pulled away from him enough to look up at him and smile, "Of course,"

They separated, albeit grudgingly.

"Well," Riley said, looking expectantly at Draco, "Shall we go catch up with the others?"

Draco pulled his wand from his pocket, "Stay close."

One hour. They had been given one hour to bury and morn those who had died. The Great Hall was filled from wall to wall with bodies of those who had passed and the injured. The room was filled with voices of pain, fear, and sorrow. Riley didn't go in—it wasn't her place. The tortured wail of Stephanie came from inside and Riley couldn't help but to grimace. So many had already died, how were they ever going to win? She shook her head quickly. No, that was exactly how Voldemort wanted them to start thinking. That way they would give up Harry sooner. But by the whispers and conversations that Riley was picking up, the Dark Lord's plan was working.

Riley's attention was brought back when she saw the boy in question—Harry—quickly run from the room.

"Harry, where are you going?" She called out to him. He stopped midstep and turned to look at who had addressed him.

"Oh," he sighed, "It's you Riley,"

"I'll ask again, where are you going?" She walked towards him and stood next to him. He had grown taller over the years.

He looked her steadily in the eye before looking away, "I would lie to you, but you know I'm a terrible liar. I'm going to the forest,"

"I see," she said slowly, "You know it's a trap, right?"

He simply nodded.

Riley stared at him for another moment before turning away from him, "Be careful,"

"You're not going to try and stop me?" He asked, bewilderment obvious in his voice.

"Just as you are a terrible liar," She smiled back at him, "I am terrible at stopping those who have made up their minds on something."

Harry let out a breath and he seemed to deflate a little, "Thanks Riley. I don't think that I could take someone trying to tell me not to go. Did you see in there?" He asked, gesturing to the Great Hall, "I can't let that continue."

"I know," she said softly. She extended her hand towards him, pinky out, "But promise me that you'll come back Harry James Potter."

He chuckled slightly, wrapping his pinky around hers, "I promise," then he turned and continued down the hallway.

The forest was dark and fog covered the ground to create and eerie blanket. Harry swallowed hard. His lips brushed against the snitch in his hand. The joints in his fingers seemed stiff as they closed around a small object. He swallowed again and continued walking forward. The fog parted just the slightest bit and Harry could make out a figure in the bleakness. The person turned at the sound of Harry's approach. A wicked smile upturned their lips.

"Ah, it's The Boy Who Lived," said the sickly sweet voice of Voldemort, "Come to die."

Harry closed his eyes slowly and imagined the one thing that he had some regrets leaving—Stephanie. The fog took on a green glow as the incantation for the Killing Curse was completed.

Everyone gathered in the front courtyard. An army of students faced against an army of men and women alike. The air was tense and carried the scent of smoke from the fires that were still smoldering throughout the entire area. Voldemort emerged from between the ranks of his army. The students of Hogwarts shrank back a little. There was no way that they would be completely unaffected by the Dark Lord's presence, no matter how much time they had just spent fighting against his army.

Riley looked on, staying behind the majority of the crowd. She had put her traveling cloak back on and replaced the hood over her head. It was best she left the least memories of herself in this place. She stood near Draco. This was strange because everyone else gave him some room and didn't want to be too close to him. Stephanie stood close to Riley. By now Stephanie had realized that Harry had gone off on his own and hadn't come back. She was a mess, full of worry. But she had tried to trust her boyfriend after talking to Riley about it.

"Harry Potter is dead," he announced, his voice drifting over all who had gathered like a poison slowly spreading after a snake bite.

Stephanie's eyes widened and her heart stopped, "No! No!" she wailed. She threw herself forward but Riley grabbed after her. She restrained Stephanie and pulled her in to a tight embrace.

Narcissa looked up at the commotion from her place among Voldemort's army. Her eyes went to where the sound had come from.

"Dear," she whispered, pulling on Lucius' sleeve, "It's Draco!"

Lucius followed his wife's gaze and his eyes fell on his son's platinum blonde hair. He looked haggard, his usually slicked back hair around having falling out of place. Lucius watched as the two people who stood closest to Draco collapsed on the ground. One of them, a girl with darker blonde hair, was sobbing and wailing in anguish. The other was another girl was wearing a long cloak and seemed to be trying to comfort the other grieving girl. The hood of the second girl had fallen back and exposed her face and her medium length hair—hair that was so blonde it shined silver in the light. Lucius' eyes narrowed. Something about that girl seemed so familiar.

Suddenly fighting broke out as a fire roared to life. Lucius hadn't been paying attention to what was happening in front of him. Apparently a student had confronted Voldemort and demeaned him. Being the proud Lord that he was, Voldemort retaliated. Spells were being cast in all directions by Death Eaters and students alike. Lucius felt another tug on his sleeve.

"Dear," Narcissa said quietly in all the commotion, "We have to get Draco out of here,"

Lucius nodded, "I agree completely. Get his attention somehow,"

Narcissa turned her attention back to where her son was. He had crouched down next to the two girls. He was looking around and blocking all the spells that came towards them. Narcissa frowned. Why was Draco going so far as to protect those girls? Her frown deepened when she saw the girl with the longer hair. It was like Narcissa had seen her somewhere before—as if in a dream.

"Stand up!" Draco hissed at the two girls, "We need to get out here! Here is not the place to grieve!"

"I can't! I don't want to live anymore if Harry's gone!" Stephanie yelled back at him, her body breaking down in to gasping sobs once more, "I don't care if I'm killed right now!"

"Stephanie." Riley said sternly. The tone of her voice made Stephanie look up in to Riley's eyes. They were shining and the grey of her eyes almost seemed to be sliding. How could eyes look like that?

"We can't stay here," she whispered, her voice returning to the gentle lull that it normally was, "If we were to die here, what would Harry have to come back to?"

Stephanie sniffled slightly, regaining some control of her emotions, "Do you really think he's coming back?"

"Of course I do," Riley smiled softly and held out her pinky finger, "We made a promise."

It was another moment before Stephanie nodded, "You're right, I need to have more faith in him. Let's move,"

Riley and Stephanie stood and Draco deflected another Killing Curse that had been thrown their way. There was a roar of anger and they looked up just in time to see Neville Longbottom defending himself. Nagini, Voldemort's python, had charged him and was going in for the kill. But Neville swung a brilliant and shining sword in front of him, slicing the snake's head from her body. The snake disappeared in a puff of black fog that dissipated in to the air.

Voldemort's face contorted in to a look of terrifying anger. He raised his wand and pointed it at Neville before his lips twisted around the words that created the Killing Curse. Neville's eyes widened and he held his hands up before him, as if that could protect him.

"No!" Cried Stephanie.

"_Protego!_" Suddenly a red light came from the side and deflected the green that came from Voldemort. All eyes that had been watching turned to the origin on the protection charm so powerful that it could deflect even the Killing Curse.

"Harry!" Stephanie yelled, her eyes falling on the haggard and bloodied vision of her fiancé.

Voldemort's face became even more ferocious, "Harry Potter!" He screamed, his voice piercing the sounds of battle around them. A great cheer followed that as the news of The Boy Who Lived had lived once again. Stephanie pushed away from Riley and ran towards Harry.

"Stephanie! Wait!" Riley yelled after her. She reached out to stop her, but the girl was moving too quickly.

Draco cursed under his breath, "Stupid girl, doesn't she understand how dangerous the situation is right now?"

Harry's eyes darted sideways as he saw Stephanie running towards him, "No! Stephanie, stay back!" He commanded her. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What?" Her footing faltered for a moment and she stumbled over some rubble that had gathered there. She fell and landed on her knees, scraping her palms.

"What's this?" Voldemort's voice was like ice, "Could this possibly be someone important to you, Harry Potter?"

Stephanie tried to stand back up but winced as a sharp pain flared in her ankle. She must have sprained it when she fell. Her eyes went to Harry and he could only look on in horror. No, he couldn't lose her. Not now when he had already done so much.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" The powerful spell shot from the tip of Voldemort's wand at an alarming speed.

"No!" Harry yelled, throwing himself in to motion to try and get to Stephanie. He raised his wand, but even his _protego _charm wouldn't make it in time. Stephanie was going to be killed and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Stephanie!" he screamed, his voice full of frustration and anguish. Stephanie felt tears spring at her eyes, but she didn't even have time to cry. The curse was upon her now. There was a flurry of black and silver to Stephanie's left just before the curse hit.

The impact came and a huge explosion covered the entire ground with a bright blue light. There was an initial implosion and then a secondary explosion with such magical force that some people were knocked over by it. There was a sound like fabric was being ripped apart and a whirlwind engulfed the entire area. When the light dimmed and the magic dissipated, Harry blinked his vision back. Stephanie was where she had been and was covering her eyes—not dead. Stephanie wasn't dead.

Harry looked up. Voldemort stood there dumbstruck. Even he had no idea what had just happened. Harry took this chance and cast a spell at him. Voldemort deflected it at the last minute. But it was too late; Harry already had the upper hand. The two cast their spells at each other—Voldemort using _Avada Kedavra_ and Harry using _Expelliarmus_. The spells met in the middle and attempted to overpower the other. This battle of strengths waged for what seemed like millennia, but really only took less than a minute. The red of the spell from Harry's wand slowly overpowered the green from Voldemort's. This caused the Killing Curse from Voldemort to backfire and hit him.

The magic disappeared and Voldemort's eyes became cold. His body slowly began to crumble and turn to dust. His mouth opened in a silent scream and then his face too eventually disappeared in to the air.

"Dead," Harry whispered breathlessly. He fell to his knees, "Voldemort is dead."

Another great roar of cheering and triumphant voices filled the air. They had won—Voldemort was no more. Harry felt someone wrap arms around his shoulders.

"You did it," Stephanie cried, "You defeated the Dark Lord." Harry turned and returned Stephanie's embrace.

"Don't scare me like that," he whispered against her hair, "I don't ever want to lose you."

Stephanie pulled back and smiled at him, "But you'll protect me—just like you did now."

"Stephanie," Harry frowned slightly, "That wasn't me. My magic's signature isn't blue,"

"What do you mean," she asked slowly, "If it wasn't you, then who—where's Riley?"

The duo looked back and scanned the area for the girl. There weren't any signs of her silver blonde hair. But there was another head of light blonde hair. Draco was being pulled away from the scene by his father.

"No! I don't want to go!" He said stubbornly. He broke away from his father's grasp and threw himself down on the ground. He was hidden partially by part of a column that had fallen. He was crouched on his knees and holding something to his chest.

"You said you would let me protect you!" He yelled, "Why? Why would you do this again?"

"Draco!" Lucius hissed, grabbing his son's arm again and attempting to pull him to his feet. Narcissa moved to where her son was sitting. She knelt down next to him and placed a hand on each shoulder in a sort of half embrace.

"Draco, dear," she whispered, her voice soothing, "We need to leave. If we're caught now, there won't be any way you can live. What would she say if she knew that you gave up your life after her death?"

He was silent and he could feel his lip quivering, "I just," he choked on his words, "I had thought that I had finally gotten her back, mother."

"I know dear," she murmured, tightening her hold around him to more of a hug, "You've been through so much and you're still so young. But right now we need to keep moving forward."

Draco remained quiet for the longest time. After a moment, he swallowed hard. His hand shook slightly as he reached out. His fingers brushed gently against the cooling skin as he closed their eyelids. As he retracted his hand, he allowed it to run through her hair for one last time. The ring that was wrapped around his left ring finger was slowly dissolving in to silver flakes like snow. It was the only thing that had kept him going for so long. Now it was just disappearing in the wind. There was nothing left for him here in this place. Draco stood and his mother stood with him. She pushed her hand in to her son's and turned to lead him away. Lucius looked around to make sure no one had noticed them and followed after them.

The cheers continued as the students celebrated their victory. Harry and Stephanie looked at each other. Ron and Hermione had rushed to Harry and Stephanie as soon as they could. They were checking each person for injuries and congratulating Harry for the win. He was "bloody amazing" according to Ron.

Stephanie tried to move a little and winced as pain flared up her leg.

"Stephanie," Hermione questioned, "What's wrong?"

"I think I may have sprained my ankle," she admitted quietly.

"We need to get that looked at," she insisted.

"No!" Stephanie said suddenly, "I'm okay for now. We need to get the wounded inside and get them treated,"

Hermione gave her a nod after a moment and drug Ron away to start helping the injured.

Harry touched Stephanie's arm gently, "I'm glad you're okay,"

Stephanie smiled at him, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes once more, "I'm so glad that you're alive." There was a moment before Harry gathered Stephanie in to his arms and held her tightly against him. He took in her scent, the feel of her skin, the heat of her body, and the beat of her heart—the rhythm of her living heart.

Later that evening Stephanie was getting her foot looked at. It was nothing big—just a small sprain that should heal in a couple of weeks. They wrapped it and told her to take it easy before sending her away. Now the medics on scene were tending to those with minor scrapes and bruises. They had done the majority of the healing and treating a few hours ago. Stephanie walked over to where Harry was, various people surrounding him periodically to thank him for everything he had done. Stephanie sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He smiled gently and slipped his hand in to hers. His thumb slowly rubbed over the ring that rested on her finger.

"So," he murmured, "When are we setting a date?"

Stephanie blushed slightly, "You haven't even met my family yet,"

"Yeah, but," he shrugged, "I already got Riley's approval so many years ago and I feel she's practically your mom away from home. It should be fine."

"I suppose that's true," Stephanie giggled softly. She blinked a couple times as if a thought had just struck her, "Where is Riley?"

Harry frowned, "I don't know. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen her since last night before I—" he stopped his sentence.

"Yes, but when you were off being stupid and selfish Riley was with me," Stephanie chewed on her bottom lip slightly, "Then in the middle of everything when you were suddenly alive again. The last I saw of her was right before Voldemort cast the Killing Curse," her words drifted off.

Her gaze fell on the many bodies that were still on the floor for mourning, "You don't think she could have—"

"Of course not," Harry assured her, "We would have seen her body," he said slowly, "I'll go check with one of the medics," He whispered before standing up. Stephanie clasped her hands tightly in her lap, trying not to let her panic overwhelm her. Riley had just returned. Surely she wouldn't go so far as to let herself be killed like that. She had even said herself that she didn't have any plans on vanishing! Riley was sneaky, and as cunning as a Slytherin, but she would never lie to Stephanie.

Harry trotted back over to where Stephanie sat. He shook his head, "None of the fatalities fit her description. She isn't dead so don't think that way. We'll find her," he comforted her with another hand on her shoulder, "I promise."

After a moment, Stephanie nodded, "You're right. I bet she's around somewhere,"

"Probably run off somewhere with Malfoy I'd say,"

Stephanie gasped in a theatrical form of surprise, "Harry James Potter! I can't believe that you would think such things of my sweet little Riley!"

He smiled and kissed her forehead, "There's my girl," he whispered, "Riley will pop up somewhere, she always does." She nodded and he sat down next to her. He put his arm over her shoulder and they lounged together in the safety and warmth of each other's embrace. Everything was going to be okay.

Draco Malfoy stared at the ceiling of his room in Malfoy Manor. Even though the fire in his room crackled lifelessly, to him the room had never felt so cold. His entire body felt numb and his stomach flipped with nausea. He hadn't eaten, no matter how hard his mother pressed him to. She said he needed to regain his strength. But how could he eat at that table where all those terrible people had once gathered? Food would only taste like ash on his tongue if he were to eat at that table.

Draco had done many things during his time as a Death Eater that he wished he could take back. There were so many things that he couldn't even begin to think of atoning for them. Surely there was no way to cleanse one's self of such sins. However, for a few brief hours, he had thought that God had smiled on him. He had returned Riley to him. Draco swallowed hard and tried to ignore the heat that was building in his eyes. He would not cry—he had no right. He had promised her he would protect her and yet he could only remember her stiffening body under his touch.

That image flickered behind his eyelids every time he closed them—causing him to fear even blinking. How was he to sleep when he was plagued with such visions of terror? He raised his left hand above him in the air of the darkened room. For once in so many years, his hand was bare—there was no swooping starling looking down at him from a sapphire eye. Riley was no longer in this world.

Draco had never felt so alone.

He put his hand over his eyes and willed the images of that person to disappear from his mind. If only he could forget her. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He swallowed hard. He could do that—forget her. With just one word, he could forget everything he had ever known and felt about Riley Sterling. He reached under his pillow and pulled out his mother's wand. It wouldn't be too hard difficult. Then he would be able to go on with his life—no more feeling like this. He would never again feel his heart tighten at the sight of blonde hair in a crowd. He would never again think he heard laughter on the wind. Never again would he smell raspberries and vanilla in the air.

He stood from his bed and walked over to the full body mirror in his room. The fire cast eerie shadows across his face. He stared at himself in the mirror for the longest time. His eyes rest on the wand clenched tightly between his fingers. He raised his hand slowly and pointed the end of the wand at his temple. His hand was shaking. He opened his mouth to utter the charm, but as he did, his face twisted in to a look of anguish. He threw the wand from himself and fell to his knees. He clutched at his head with both his hands. His body trembled and shook with his sobs. He couldn't do it. He couldn't forget her when she left so many years ago and he couldn't do it now. He didn't _want_ to forget her.

_19 years later..._

"Scorpius! Don't wander off too far!" Astoria Malfoy yelled after her son. She sighed exasperatedly. She turned to her husband who seemed all too uninterested in what was happening. He was working on something big at the Ministry and it was taking up much of his time nowadays.

"Draco, would you mind going and fetching our son?" Astoria said as she walked past him when she spotted some friends of hers. Draco kept himself from sneering at his so-called wife. He and Astoria were a marriage of consequence, not love.

Draco made his way through the crowd, following after his son. Just what was the boy doing anyway? He hardly knew anyone there—minus the Potter boy, Albus. Somehow the two had become friends and there was just no stopping them. But Draco didn't see the Potters anywhere. Perhaps Scorpius had seen something shiny and decided to chase after it. Draco let out a sigh—he really hoped going to Hogwart's would turn Scorpius in to a man more deserving of the name of Malfoy.

Draco watched as his spastic son ran in to someone. The boy fell over on to his rear and Draco hurried to him.

"Scorpius!" Draco hissed at the boy, "I'm very sorry ma'am. This insolent boy of mine didn't hurt you I hope?"

The person chuckled, a sound like bells, "No harm has been done,"

Draco stood Scorpius up and was dusting him off as the woman knelt down in front of the boy. The elder Malfoy's eyebrows knitted. His mind absently thought that the voice somehow sounded familiar.

"Take better care of who you run in to, young one," she whispered, "Not everyone is as nice as I am."

Scorpius nodded, "Yes ma'am. I am very sorry for running in to you, ma'am."

She patted the child's head before standing back up, "Behave for your father, Scorpius, he's a very good man,"

Draco's head snapped up at his child's name. But the person was already making their way through the crowded King's Cross Station.

"Father," Scorpius said, tugging on his dad's jacket, "Why are you crying?"

Draco blinked and looked down at his son. He raised his hand to his face and felt moisture there.

"I'm not sure," he said slowly, "But it feels like I've just woken from a dream," he whispered.


End file.
